Meet SCGS at the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar!

Lisa Hallett Taylor
21 hours ago
2 min read

Are you curious about your family’s Los Angeles roots? Visit the Southern California Genealogical Society & Research Library (SCGS) table at the 20th Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar on Saturday, October 18, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cal State LA!

SCGS President Louise Ratliff and Education Chair Charlotte Bocage will be there to chat with visitors, answer questions about family research, and share tips and resources to help you start—or continue—your genealogy journey.

The Archives Bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject, is a free, one-of-a-kind celebration of Southern California history, bringing together more than 80 archives, libraries, and historical organizations—from major institutions to private collectors. This year marks the event’s 20th anniversary and its first time at Cal State LA, with the theme of Community taking center stage.

Event Highlights

There’s a full lineup of fascinating programs throughout the day:

10:00 a.m. – “Good Neighbors: Conservation Efforts Following the California Wildfires” Learn how local archives and museums mobilized to protect their collections after the January 2025 wildfires, with insights from Art Recovery LA and the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles.
11:00 a.m. – “Sci-Fi Fan Communities in Southern California” Enjoy an advance screening of a Lost LA episode exploring the region’s rich sci-fi heritage, followed by a discussion with scholars from Cal Poly Pomona, USC, and UC Riverside.
1:00 p.m. – “Voices of Oceanbone: Righting the Wrongs of History” Filmmakers and Cal State LA faculty Lani Cupchoy and Tarisi Vunidilo share their award-winning short film Oceanbone and discuss the global movement to return ancestral remains and sacred items to Indigenous communities.
2:00 p.m. – “Our Stages, Our Stories: Latinx Theatre in Modern Los Angeles” Hear from members of the Latinx Theatre Alliance and the Voces del Teatro Oral History Archive about preserving L.A.’s Latinx theater history and building a community archive from the ground up.

Plus, stop by ongoing and hands-on sessions throughout the day:

Postal Service for the Dead Letter Writing Project (10 a.m.–12 p.m.) — Reflect, write, and contribute to a heartfelt archive of letters to those we’ve lost.
Salvaging the Soaked (1–1:50 p.m.) — A live demo from NEDCC experts on rescuing water-damaged historical materials.
Unwind LA (2–3 p.m.) — End your day with mindfulness and stress-relief techniques designed to help Angelenos recharge.