Portland City Archives celebrates American Archives Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 16, 2026

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland City Auditor's Archives & Records Management Division is celebrating American Archives Month at two public events in October. Both events are free and open to the public of all ages. This year, the Division is hosting a two-day zine workshop and "Portland in Black: Documenting Our Lives in the City of Roses," a community archiving event. 

A two-day workshop invites attendees to explore the City Archives and create their own zine using historical materials. Across two sessions, they will get an inside look at the City's collections while learning how to make a zine from start to finish. The Independent Publishing Resource Center will join the first session to discuss zine libraries and share examples from their own collection to help attendees generate ideas. Zine artist Envy Estacio will join the second session to help guide the creative process. Both sessions will be held at the Portland Archives & Records Center, 1800 SW 6^th Avenue, Suite 550, on October 6^th and 13^th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Attendees should plan to attend both sessions and register in advance due to space limitations. 

"Portland in Black: Documenting Our Lives in the City of Roses" is designed to grow community connections, build archival skills, and create a foundation to ensure community stories are accessible for generations to come. In partnership with Don't Shoot PDX, the Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Public Broadcasting and Albina Music Trust, the event will give attendees the opportunity to work on personal archiving projects, connect with community members, and receive guidance from memory workers. The event will spotlight audiovisual materials. Archivists will be on hand to discuss the unique preservation challenges of audio and video recordings. Free "archival kits" made up of various archival supplies, tools, and enclosures to help start an archiving project will be provided on a first come first served basis. The event will be held at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, on October 24 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. No registration is needed.

Visit the Events page on the Portland City Archives website for more information about each event.

Email parc@portlandoregon.gov for any accessibility accommodations.

"Archives Month provides a chance for us to acknowledge the important role history plays in building community," said City Archivist Madeline Moya. "By using historical records to share stories and create art together, we strengthen connections, celebrate the diverse experiences of Portlanders, and enrich our collective memory."

American Archives Month is a collaborative effort by professional organizations and collecting organizations around the nation to highlight the importance of historical records. Archivists are professionals who assess, collect, organize, preserve, maintain control of, and provide access to information that has lasting value, and they help people find and understand the information they need in those records. 

The Archives & Records Management Division operates the Portland Archives & Records Center, making City administrative and historical records accessible to the public and City employees for research and inspection in accordance with Oregon public records law.