California State University, Northridge

Ellen Jarosz is head of Special Collections and Archives at California State University, Northridge and a past president of the Society of California Archivists. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and a master of arts in library and information studies with an archives concentration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Stephen Kutay is digital services librarian at California State University, Northridge. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in music and a master of library and information science degree with a specialization in archival studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.

California State University, Northridge began like many other institutions in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, with trees cleared and foundations poured at sites that were once orange, lemon, or avocado groves. While it passed its first years as the San Fernando Valley campus of Los Angeles State College, it became San Fernando Valley State College (SFVSC) before the 1958 fall term. As the campus and student body rapidly grew, SFVSC saw waves of political activism promoting equal opportunities in higher education, protesting racism and discrimination, and denouncing war. Negotiations between student groups, campus administration, and the Faculty Senate ultimately led to the establishment of some of the nation's earliest programs in ethnic and area studies. In 1972, the campus became California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Today, over 2,000 faculty members serve 40,000 students pursuing bachelor's degrees in 69 disciplines, master's degrees in 58 fields, doctorates in two fields, and 14 teaching credential programs.