Regional Archives for California's Central Valley

FAIN: ZPA-284058-22

University of California, Merced (Merced, CA 95344-0039)
Emily Lin (Project Director: May 2021 to November 2023)

The retention of four positions to process two archival collections plus an additional 4,000 photographs within the California Agricultural Resources Archive that document the rural counties located at the north end of California’s Central Valley. 

As a cornerstone collection for establishing a regional archives at the University of California, Merced, the California Agricultural Resources Archive preserves and provides access to significant documents, photographs, and audiovisual material spanning the 100-year history of Cooperative Extension in California. These collections document the development of rural communities and the evolution of the American landscape in one of the most productive agricultural regions on the globe. American Rescue Plan funds will sustain essential staff to steward and support access to collections—specifically from counties recently impacted by severe wildfire—and to conduct outreach and instructional activities that will engage faculty, students, local educators, and the broader public. These activities are integral to advancing humanistic scholarship and public humanities in a historically underserved region that remains the slowest in the state to recover from COVID-19.

Associated Products

California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA) Preserves History of Cooperative Extension (Article)
Title: California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA) Preserves History of Cooperative Extension
Author: Emily Lin
Author: Rebecca Gourevitch
Abstract: The University of California, Merced Library has undertaken a multi-year effort to archive, preserve, digitize, and provide access to the historical records of Cooperative Extension in California. This article provides an overview of what has been archived as well as programming and outreach developed over the course of this project.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.calarchivists.org/resources/Documents/Newsletter/2023Winter.pdf
Primary URL Description: SCA Newsletter Winter 2023, No. 185
Access Model: Open access
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Society of California Archivists Newsletter
Publisher: Society of California Archivists

A Century of Impact in California's Counties: Highlights from the University of California Cooperative archive (Exhibition)
Title: A Century of Impact in California's Counties: Highlights from the University of California Cooperative archive
Curator: Rebecca Gourevitch
Abstract: A new photography exhibit has opened on the 4th floor of the UC Merced Library. A Century of Impact in California's Counties: Highlights from the University of California Cooperative archive features photographs from the California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA), showcasing the University of California’s work over the past 100 years to improve agricultural practices, support youth development, and promote broader civic engagement. The exhibit is divided into five themes: farm advisor demonstrations, crop trials, labor, home demonstration agents, and 4-H. Photographs illustrate the scope of work conducted by UC Cooperative Extension advisors. In the early years, farm advisors sought to create irrigation districts and fire protection districts; to direct road and infrastructure campaigns; and to demonstrate new techniques and technologies in agricultural production. In the ensuing decades, Cooperative Extension has administered extensive crop trials and has conducted copious research into farming practices and technologies. The first home demonstration agents in California taught rural women and girls about nutrition, food preservation techniques, and home economic skills like sewing and dressmaking. The involvement of youth in Cooperative Extension work was a precursor to the formation of 4-H clubs. Some of the images underscore major socioeconomic issues present in rural California like labor and immigration, irrevocably linked to farming and agriculture. A Century of Impact in California's Counties highlights only a selection of the items documenting the history of UC Cooperative Extension and how it has influenced agriculture and rural life in California, which the UC Merced Library has archived.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://library.ucmerced.edu/use/exhibits/gallery/2321

California Agricultural Resources Archive (Web Resource)
Title: California Agricultural Resources Archive
Author: Emily Lin
Author: Sophia LaMonica
Author: Alisak Sanavongsay
Abstract: The California Agricultural Resources Archive preserves and provides access to UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) records, primarily collected from UCCE county offices.The project website provides background and links to blog posts on the project; aims to aggregate access to publications and primary sources pertaining to California agriculture; and includes historical timelines and a bibliography of California agriculture.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://cara.ucmerced.edu/page/welcome

---