Santa Barbara County’s history is rich and diverse, shaped by families, organizations, and communities whose everyday stories — captured in home movies, family photographs and personal records — rarely make it into traditional archives. The Santa Barbara Community Archives Project (SBCAP) is changing that. Through free community digitization events held in partnership with local organizations, SBCAP safeguards these materials and ensures they become part of the permanent record, amplifying historically unheard voices and celebrating the full breadth of the county’s heritage.
Launched by UC Santa Barbara Library in 2022, SBCAP was co-founded by Special Research Collections (SRC) curators Laura Jean Treat Liebhaber and Angel Diaz. By providing professional archiving support directly to individuals and local organizations, the Library empowers local communities to become active stewards of their own heritage.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, SBCAP expanded its preservation and access initiatives, digitizing and adding 119 photographs and 397 films to Library collections. A collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society (SBCGS) supported its exhibition, "A Glimpse into Santa Barbara’s Hispanic Family Heritage, 1850–1950," by scanning family photographs to help highlight the contributions and experiences of Hispanic families. SBCAP and SBCGS also co-hosted a public screening of digitized family films that fostered intergenerational engagement and inspired interest in archival work among younger audiences. "SBCAP’s support has been invaluable. We deeply appreciate their commitment to our work and community," said Holly Snyder, SBCGS Outreach Coordinator.
SBCAP also partnered with UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) to host K-12 educators and researchers exploring the history of Old Spanish Days Fiesta in SRC as part of IHC’s 2025 Finding Fiesta program. By providing access to archival materials and digitization support, SBCAP helped bring local history into K-12 classrooms, introducing students to primary sources. Additionally, SBCAP partnered with the Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association to preserve photographs from alumni and organizational archives in preparation for the school’s 150th All Dons Reunion.
In the coming years, SBCAP will continue to strengthen community partnerships, broaden access to local history, preserve irreplaceable cultural resources, and empower future generations to preserve and share Santa Barbara County’s collective memory.
