Public event and book talk for author Nathan Schneider’s latest publication, Governable Spaces.
Libraries are a cornerstone for civic engagement. The Internet Archive is carrying on that tradition by hosting in-person gatherings at its Funston Avenue headquarters in San Francisco, including candidate forums and public interest events.
“Our goal is to connect with folks who are related to the mission: the universal access to all knowledge,” said Even Sirchuk, community and events manager for the Archive.
This fall, the Internet Archive opened its doors to the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, Mission Local, and SFGovTV to hold forums with candidates for the San Francisco District 1 Board of Supervisors, San Francisco sheriff and an event on politics and money, explaining the funders behind propositions on the California ballot in the November election.
“It’s great to have a funky building that can host us. And it introduces people to a venue or service they might not actually have been exposed to—educating people on what the Internet Archive does.”Danielle Diebler, volunteer for the League of Women Voters of San Francisco
At a moment when the public is seeking information and connection, libraries are institutions that provide access to resources, programs and public spaces for all members of a community, according to the American Library Association (ALA). As one voter engagement PDF guide from ALA highlights, “Libraries are nonpartisan, but they are not indifferent.”
The Internet Archive wants its building to be more than space for books and servers—to also serve as a community resource, Sirchuk said. By opening its doors to nonprofits for free and providing needed tech support, organizations can host these events in person, which many could not otherwise afford to do.
Danielle Diebler, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters of San Francisco for nearly a decade, said she was pleased to find the Internet Archive as a venue. It is conveniently located, near public transportation, outfitted with the technical support needed to live stream and record—and free to the nonprofit.
“It’s great to have a funky building that can host us,” Diebler said. “And it introduces people to a venue or service they might not actually have been exposed to—educating people on what the Internet Archive does.”
Indeed, the Archive has been a resource to the League, helping digitize its historical documents.
With an in-person gathering, Diebler said, citizens have the opportunity to walk up to candidates and ask questions—something that is not possible over Zoom.
“It’s such a big election this year with so much on the ballot,” she said. “It’s even more important to have accessible resources and understand where candidates stand on important issues.”
Emily Capage, organization administrative associate with the ACLU in San Francisco, who partnered with the League on the forums, said it was important for voters to have a place to learn about the candidates.
“People don’t often get to see them face to face. It’s our right to be able to learn and be educated,” she said. “Local politics matter. It affects our day-to-day lives more than larger national policies.”
For the money and politics event in October at the Internet Archive, Joe Rivano Barros was invited to speak. He is a senior editor of Mission Local, an independent news site based in the Mission District, and has been tracking who is funding the various ballot initiatives. “People just don’t know or get information from the campaign itself,” he said. “We shine more light on money and politics.”
There’s something about an in-person event, where people make an effort to attend, that elevates the quality of the conversation, he said. “The Internet Archive is great because it’s vast and has the tech all set up,” Barros said. “They’ve been very generous.”
In the newsroom, Barros said he regularly taps into resources available through the Internet Archive, such as archived campaign websites, and he also submits materials to be preserved. “It’s a wonderful tool for journalists,” he added.
Sirchuk added that the Internet Archive is focused on preserving written knowledge, but it also values oral history. “That information doesn’t get spread if there isn’t a forum for that knowledge exchange,” he said. “And what’s cool about the forum as a format is that you can compare knowledge in real time, listen to four or five responses to see which connects with you and then do more research.”
The events at the Archive are recorded, backed up and added to the online collection for anyone to access at their convenience for free.
Anson Ho, production supervisor for SFGovTV, live streamed and recorded the fall forums at the Archive building. He appreciated the good audio, lighting and infrastructure provided.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity that they have the community space,” Ho said. “San Francisco is very dense and sometimes it’s hard to find public spaces that big to have people come and gather.”
Capage of the ACLU added that, as a nonprofit operating on a tight budget, it’s hard to find affordable venues for events. She’s grateful to partner with the Internet Archive, she said, and hopes to use the facility again in the future.