The Leatherby Libraries’ Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives preserves a wide variety of historical treasures and stories for members of the Chapman University community and the public to access, learn from, or research. To showcase one notable local story, Victoria Perez, our Reference Librarian, curated the virtual exhibit “Scrapbook Memories: A Visual History of the Orange County Japanese American Youths Organization,” while she was a Special Collections and Archives Assistant.

Sixteenth Annual O.C. Japanese Carnival ticket, June 27, 1971.

This virtual exhibit features a selection of ephemera, photographs, and scrapbook pages from the Orange County Japanese American Youths (OC JAYs) scrapbook held in our Special Collections and Archives. The exhibit explains that the OC JAYs was founded in 1954 under the organizational umbrella of the Orange County, California chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). OC JAYs members created the scrapbook to document their chapter’s history, focusing on the years from 1954 to 1972. They contributed event tickets and programs, correspondence, photographs, and news clippings about OC JAYs’ members and social events. All members of the Chapman University community can access the resources linked in the virtual exhibit.

Eighteenth Annual Installation Banquet program cover, January 8, 1972.

This exhibit covers organizational history, OC JAYs events and activities, and annual member installation events, such as one hosted at the Disneyland Hotel. The exhibit concludes by recognizing that the materials preserved in the OC JAYs scrapbook offer a unique glimpse into the vibrant lives of local Japanese American teenagers and young adults in the 1950s and 1960s.

The virtual exhibit links to several pages of the digitized scrapbook accessible on the Chapman University Digital Commons. Those interested in learning more about the history of OC JAYs can explore the scrapbook collection’s finding aid on the Special Collections and Archives’ ArchiveSpace. 

For more information, contact our University Archivist, Annie Tang, at awtang@chapman.edu or the Coordinator of Special Collections, Lauren McDaniel, at lmcdaniel@chapman.edu.

The Leatherby Libraries’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts align with the Chapman University Strategic Plan for Diversity & Inclusion, fostering a diverse and inclusive campus climate.