The Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute connects New York's Asian/Pacific American (A/PA) communities with students and scholars, promoting exchanges of knowledges to encourage change. Founded in 1996 in response to student interest, the A/P/A Institute nurtures the production of academic, literary, and artistic work about the largely marginalized experience of A/PAs. The building of collections and archives is a crucial component of this mission. Archives preserve physical documentation of the past. Scholars, artists, activists, and community members need access to the materials from which their present has been created. A/P/A Institute is facilitating the process of finding an accessible, permanent home for New York Metro region and East Coast A/PA materials. Our vision is to provide collections that allow for engagement with and dialogue about the experiences of A/PAs.
By combining scholarship, collecting, and the community, we can begin to tell the stories that have structured our political culture but often go unnoticed. We are building archives where filmmakers can engage representations of the past to comment on the present, where community organizers can learn from their predecessors, and where school-groups can come to terms with their history. Armed with access and knowledge we can forward our stories and fight for our needs.
A/P/A collections are housed in multiple repositories within the NYU Library system including The Fales Library & Special Collections and The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. The Fales Library & Special Collections houses literary, artistic, and pop cultural collections. The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives houses collections that document political and social movements. To access A/P/A collections, please contact the repository and schedule an appointment. Many collections are stored off-site, so research visits must be scheduled in advance. All collections are free and open to the public. All researchers must register with photo identification as readers at the library.
The Fales Library & Special Collections is located on the 3rd floor of the New York University Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012.
Please call (212) 998-2596 to schedule an appointment.
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives is located on the 10th floor of the New York University Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012.
Please call (212) 998-2630 to schedule an appointment.
Collection-building and archiving is a major effort. In addition to identifying and bringing in collections, such resources must be preserved and organized to make them accessible for researchers. To assist in this work, the A/P/A Institute funds Graduate Assistants in A/PA Archives. These Graduate Assistants work at the A/P/A Institute with community groups, researchers, and the NYU library to procure and promote A/PA-relevant collections, while pursuing a Master of Arts in the Public History and Archival Management Program. The academic program and work at A/P/A Institute uniquely equips students with the knowledge and background to advocate for A/PA-relevant collections and collecting practices. Through their necessary work at A/P/A Institute, students connect community groups and researchers to the A/P/A Institute research archives. Together, researchers, archivists, and collections promote the value of understanding of A/PA experiences.
Archiving Activism: documenting the adventures of an archivist/activist-in-training
Visit Graduate Assistant Emily I-Ting Chu's blog
If you would like to donate your records or your organizations' records, please contact A/P/A at apa.archives@nyu.edu