Archives and Public History

A discussion with archivists and scholars on the place of the archive in the preservation and dissemination of public history.

• Prithi Kanakamedala, professor of history, Bronx Community College (CUNY) and CUNY Graduate Center. Her first full-length book, Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough, was a finalist for the 2025 Gotham Book Prize, long-listed for the 2025 Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize (nonfiction), and won the 2024 Victorian Society of New York Book Award. An active public historian for just under two decades, Kanakamedala continues to work collaboratively with artists, curators, and cultural organizations across New York City, and is a board member of Weeksville Heritage Center, and the Center for Brooklyn History part of Brooklyn Public Library.
• Marianne LaBatto, associate archivist, Brooklyn College Archives and Special Collections.  An alumna of Brooklyn College (B.A., M.A.) and Queens College (M.L.S.), LaBatto has worked in the Archives since 1995. Her work includes organizing collections and ensuring the preservation of historical documents, photographs, and records related to Brooklyn College and Brooklyn’s history. She supervises archival projects and interns and helps researchers and students access historical collections. She has also written blog posts and educational materials about Brooklyn College history.
• Elizabeth R. Macaulay, professor of liberal studies, anthropology, classics, Middle Eastern studies, and digital humanities; executive officer, M.A. in liberal studies, CUNY Graduate Center. Macaulay’s scholarship examines the intersection between antiquity and modernity, especially how the art and architecture of ancient West Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome have been reinterpreted globally. She is the author or editor of eight books, including Ancient Fantasies and Modern Power (2026); Archaeological Ambassadors (2024), and Antiquity in Gotham (2021). She is a committed public scholar and is an acquiring editor and board chair for Smarthistory.org, the Center for Public Art History. Her essays and videos for Smarthistory have been viewed by more than1.4 million people.
• Kelly M. Britt, associate professor of anthropology, Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center. Britt’s research focuses on community-based contemporary and historical archaeology of urban spaces. She completed her Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University in 2009 and spent seven years at FEMA as its Regional II Archaeologist before joining Brooklyn College.