With the impressive title, “Curator for Orange County Regional History and Research Librarian for Orange County,” University of California, Irvine Libraries, Dr. Krystal Tribbett has a wealth of responsibilities; while her primary passion is to preserve and make accessible to the world the archives of underrepresented individuals, projects and organizations. These include collections from the LGBT Timeline Project, and from people of color in the O.C. 

Krystal Tribbett

Employing her proactive approach to documentation, Tribbett became the 50th Anniversary Project Historian for the UCI Historical Documentation Project in 2015. In early 2020, she was named an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage, advancing “multicultural collections through innovative and inclusive curatorial practice and leadership.” 

Born in 1981, Tribbett grew up in a middle class New Jersey family. Her father worked in municipal construction. Her mother was a special education teacher who studied for advanced degrees for years, becoming a guidance counselor, elementary school principal, and supervisor of special education for her school district. 

While growing up, Tribbett observed her Mom working during the day and studying at night. “Her behavior influenced my ambition, as I learned to focus and to multitask,” she explained. She received a progressive education in an ethnically and racially integrated public school system, and was encouraged to treat others with respect through engagement with her local Methodist church.

Tribbett majored in geology and minored in religion at Vassar College, spending her summers at the U.S. Geological Survey Arizona, and received a bachelor’s degree with honors. She did graduate work at UC San Diego, concentrating on the philosophy, community, history and sociology of science, receiving a Ph.D. in Science Studies. While there, she researched UC San Diego’s history for its 50th Anniversary Project; an assignment leading to her position with UCI’s 50th Anniversary Project. 

Photo by Allan Helmick, UCI Libraries

Q: Please describe your responsibilities as the 50th Anniversary Project Historian at UCI.

Tribbett: I collected, preserved and made available historical records and memories focusing on UC Irvine’s pioneering intellectual contributions, key turning points in its history and unique legacy. A huge portion of my position included working with UCI Stories, for which I conducted over 50 paired oral histories, interviewing over 100 UCI affiliates. UCI Stories culminated in an exhibit, book and catalogue that can be accessed through the UCI Stories site or through Calisphere. 

UCI Stories was truly fulfilling as I got to know some of UCI’s most influential individuals, including community members, faculty, students, staff, alumni and administrators. Speaking with them gave me a sense of the essence of the university, which involves respect, innovation, collaboration and community, even amidst the documented bumps, bruises and exponential growth the campus has experienced. I also found the UCI community to be excited about the university’s success and potential. Even when individuals critiqued the university, their ideas came from wanting and knowing that the university could, should and would work towards doing better for its students, faculty and staff. 

Photo by Allan Helmick, UCI Libraries

Q: As Curator for Orange County Regional History, describe one of your favorite archives.

Tribbett: The William L. Pereira and Associates collection of workbooks for the original UCI campus documented the architectural planning for the campus, and was presented to the UC Regents in 1962 for approval. The workbooks contain status reports, maps, schematic and architectural plans and drawings. Pereira conceived of the campus as two concentric rings around which buildings would stand, with a park at the center. This circular design allowed student residence halls to be near the academic buildings and minimized walking time from building to building, while buildings were grouped together by function and academic discipline. Today, UCI works to preserve this vision even as it grows. 

Q: Please describe some of your favorite Orange County collections.

Tribbett: “The Mark Chamberlain papers” contains files, photographs, videos, multimedia art, correspondence and manuscripts relevant to the work of Chamberlain, an educator, artist, photographer and environmental activist. He documented and helped save Laguna Canyon through photography, video, performance art and installations for his projects, including the Laguna Canyon Project, and with his gallery, BC Space in downtown Laguna. This collection speaks to me as my background is in science studies with an emphasis on environmental causes. Mark was also a mentor, patiently explaining the details of his projects and their relevance to the larger world.

Photo by Allan Helmick, UCI Libraries

Our “Orange County Historical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Timeline Project” collection documents Orange County’s LGBTQ+ community, which has made numerous contributions to its cause on local, regional and national levels. A cornerstone of the collection is the LGBT “Timeline Research Files.” These include publications, photographs, newsletters, correspondence and ephemera, highlighting important people and organizations. In addition, several Orange County Cultural Pride parades have been held on the UCI campus.

Q: Describe your involvement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant Project.

Tribbett: In the Spring of 2017, UCI Libraries was awarded a three-year Institute of Museum and Library Services grant in the category, “Transforming Knowledge/Transforming Libraries.” The project research team partnered with UCI’s departments of Asian American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies and African American Studies. This partnership also connected library and information studies with UCI’s ethnic studies curriculum, providing undergraduates with access to the digital cultural heritages of underrepresented communities. And we partnered with several organizations to preserve their histories, including the Heritage Museum of Orange County, the Orange Public Library and History Center and the Community in Resistance for Ecological and Cultural Empowerment.

Photo by Allan Helmick, UCI Libraries

Q: Please discuss your engagement with underrepresented OC communities.

Tribbett: UCI Libraries Special Collections and Archives supports underrepresented people telling their histories on their own terms. We connect library and information studies practice with UCI’s ethnic studies undergraduate curriculum, providing students with tools to access these people and communities. We also work with the Orange County Community-Centered Archives Partnerships; and with Archives in Action, which helped plan the 2018 and 2019 Orange County Archives Bazaars.

Indeed, Krystal Tribbett’s natural grace and optimism reflect her passion for archiving individuals and communities that might otherwise be forgotten; her love for her family, including two young daughters and a writer husband; and her care for her many friends and associates in the UCI community and beyond.

The massive UCI Special Collections and Archives materials are located in the UCI Langson Library. While the “Reading Room” there is currently closed to the public, interested parties can request online assistance, go to the contact page, or request more information from Orange County collections 

https://special.lib.uci.edu

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