Case study: Reprioritising what to digitise to highlight new narratives of leadership within the L’Arche Collections

Abstract

Digitisation has long supported outreach and discoverability in archives and special collections. These priorities, however, can shift dramatically when a collection’s public identity is tied to someone later confirmed to have committed sexual abuse. This case study examines how ongoing projects tied to the L’Arche Collections were re-evaluated after the disclosure of abuse by Jean Vanier, prompting a reassessment of previous digitisation plans that centred on Vanier. In response to the revelations, a proposal emerged from within the local L’Arche community to develop an anniversary exhibition that would foreground alternative leadership narratives. This collaboration initiated a shift in digitisation priorities, redirecting attention from materials associated with Vanier towards records documenting other significant figures in L’Arche’s history. This resulted in a small online exhibition with newly digitised material featuring a retired member and leader within L’Arche, Sr. Sue Mosteller, whose leadership provided an alternative framework to explore the history of L’Arche. The mid-scale collaboration generated renewed engagement with the collections and demonstrated the value of community-driven reframing in archival practice. This paper outlines the context that led to the project, the four-month development process and the practical steps taken to launch the exhibition. It concludes by reflecting on the role of community partnership in ensuring the project’s success and on the next steps required to sustain and extend this work across new platforms. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at http://hstalks.com/business.