ABOVE: Orange County Regional History Center is being recognized for its One Orlando Collection, an archive collection dedicated to the memory of the Pulse nightclub shooting. (Courtesy: One Orlando Collection)
ORLANDO | Orange County Regional History Center has been chosen as the 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Society of American Archivists, according to an official press release.
The Society of American Archivists is “North America’s oldest and largest national professional association” for archivists. The Distinguished Service Award serves to recognize an “archives institution, education program, nonprofit organization or government organization that has given outstanding service to its public and has made an exemplary contribution to the archives profession.”
One Orlando Collection is the Center’s archive that seeks to memorialize the Pulse nightclub shooting that took place in Orlando in June 2016. Curators from the Center, since June 27, 2016, have made regular trips to Pulse Nightclub and other memorial sites, such as the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and Orlando Regional Medical Center, to collect items for the archive. The collection consists of “physical items from memorial sites, as well as a digital gallery.”
The efforts of the Center in creating this archive, which include the collection of an estimated 5,000 pieces, have allowed them to provide a sense of community on a local and national level.
“…the Center has served as a nexus of community, connection and remembrance for those touched by the tragedy,” the press release states. “[They have] used [their] experiences to build relationships and support systems with cultural heritage professionals across the country who have experienced their own mass tragedies, in places like Las Vegas, Parkland and Dallas. They share their experiences widely through presentations and publications, and contributed to the SAA Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force that produced the vital resource, Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit.”
Within the Center itself, the One Orlando Collection has inspired a push for innovation, such as the expansion of the Center’s oral history program, which aims to “…actively…decolonize this collection to better reflect the many different people and perspectives of Central Florida.”
The Center’s commitment to preserving the memory of the Pulse shooting has helped solidify the legacy of LGBTQ+ solidarity shown to the LGBTQ+ community in the aftermath of the event, according to a supporter of the Center.
“Orange County Regional History Center stepped up to the extremely difficult challenge created from a tragic event – documenting the aftermath of the Pulse shootings – leading the way to ensure that this event and the outpouring of emotion, love and support for the LGBTQ and Latino communities, and the city of Orlando, is not and will not ever be forgotten.”
SAA’s Distinguished Service Award was established in 1964 and previous recipients have included The New England Archivists Mentoring Program, Society of Southwest Archivists, Council of State Archivists, Georgia Archives Institute and the Archives Leadership Institute.
The Orange County Regional History Center first opened back in September 2000 in downtown Orlando. Its hours of operation are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and noon – 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The digital gallery from the One Orlando Collection can be viewed here.
