Southeast Asian Archive: Support the Southeast Asian Archive
An Important Historical Collection of National Prominence
The UC Irvine Libraries' Southeast Asian Archive (SEAA) is the most significant collection in the United States that focuses on documenting the refugees and immigrants from the former Indochina—Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos—since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Its national prominence was confirmed by receipt of a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2004 which enabled us to make over 25 archival collections available for research and to create SEAAdoc, an online resource with 1,500 visual images and 4,000 pages of searchable text representing a cross-section of our holdings. SEAA is a true reflection of our local history, as the largest expatriate Vietnamese American community is in "Little Saigon," located 12 miles from campus, and the largest Cambodian American population is in Little Phnom Penh, 23 miles from campus. In addition, 40 percent of the nation's Southeast Asian Americans reside in California.
While SEAA has grown in distinction over the years, today’s economic climate presents significant challenges to maintain and build on its excellence. As the University of California receives less funding from the State, the resulting impact on UC Irvine and the UCI Libraries creates an increased need for private gifts to help support the Archive’s mission and growth.
The Southeast Asian Archive Fund
The Southeast Asian Archive Fund was created to provide critical unrestricted support to help preserve and develop the excellence of the Archive. Donations to the SEAA Fund support the following:
- Processing of archival materials – Help us purchase preservation supplies or hire assistants to make archival materials accessible to researchers.
- Digitization of collections – Support the digitization of materials to make them available online for researchers to use anytime, anyplace.
- Events promoting SEAA - Underwrite events to help us market the Archive and its mission within various communities
- Visiting Researcher Award - Help researchers with their travel expenses to use Archive
- Oral History Projects - Support proposed oral history projects to help us preserve and make accessible the voices of Southeast Asian American refugees and immigrants as they share their stories and experiences
To make a tax deductible donation, please Give Online Now, or Print out a form to mail.
The Southeast Asian Archivist Fund (VACA Initiative)
The VACA Initiative was launched by the Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors to provide critical support to help hire a professional archivist to organize, preserve and describe the archival collections so that they are available for researchers and the public.
To make a tax deductable donation, please Give Online Now, or Print out a form to mail.
Your support of the Southeast Asian Archive offers wonderful benefits, including a tour of the Archive, invitations to Archive events, and the Libraries' E-Newsletter.
Making a Lasting Impact
For those who wish to make a more significant impact on the Archive, we invite you to consider a special opportunity to establish a named endowment for $25,000 or more. Named funds make a lasting legacy by providing funds in perpetuity to ensure the Archive’s significance in our community continues to grow.
- Establish a Named Endowed Fund in support of the Archive
- Establish a Named Endowed Fund to support a Southeast Asian Archivist
For further information about supporting the Southeast Asian Archive, please contact Julie Sully, Interim Director of Development for the UCI Libraries, at jsully@uci.edu, or 949.824.4658.