What is the Young People’s Archive at East Side Freedom Library (YPA@ESFL)?

YPA@ESFL is a digital oral history collection. East Side Freedom Library is a non-circulating library for scholars, researchers, and the public dedicated to “inspiring solidarity and justice for all.” The Library is located at 1105 Greenbrier St, St Paul, MN 55106. YPA@ESFL provides primary source materials for preservation and access.

Who created and donated YPA to the ESFL collections?

Lisa Arrastia, Ph.D., donated YPA to ESFL in March 2018. Young people from upstate New York generated the idea of YPA, contributed to it, and helped to make audioethnography (oral history remix) a primary way to teach writing and critical inquiry, and listening across difference to build understanding.

How do I access YPA?

Access to YPA’s materials and/or a list of materials is provided upon written request to helloATyoungpeoplesarchive.org. All requests will be vetted, and any donor release restrictions will be honored. Some materials in YPA@ESFL have special restrictions. This means an item you request could, for example, have names and other identifiable information deleted, redacted, or changed, or the narrator/producer could have enabled time-restricted access. 

May I reproduce or download the materials?

Materials in the Archive may not be reproduced or downloaded.

Do you follow the ethics of any oral history entity?

The Young People's Archive is guided by the ethics of the Oral History Association. The 2018 "Common Rule" regulations by the US Department of Health and Human Services state, "scholarly and journalistic activities [are] deemed not to be research." Such activities are, for example, oral history, journalism, biography, literary criticism, legal research, and historical scholarship, including the collection and use of information that focuses directly on the specific individuals about whom the information is collected.

Additionally, YPA

Does YPA have ongoing projects?

Yes. If you want to experience our ongoing projects, click the links on this site and follow us on IG @yparchive.

Is YPA open to collaborations?

Definitely, connect with us here.

I still have questions. How do I contact YPA, ESFL?

Contact us here. We’re happy to respond.