A September Update From OPUS Archives
Field notes from OPUS Archives at the start of the academic year
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Supporters,
Catching the last light of September in the reading room, the pace of work at OPUS Archives continues to reflect both seasonal rhythm and sustained momentum. Whether through onsite research visits, digital preservation projects, or editorial contributions from afar, we remain grounded in our mission to steward collections and foster inquiry that connects archives with memory, imagination, and meaning.
Welcoming New Board Members
We are pleased to formally welcome two new members to our Board of Directors: Dr. Jamie Mayo and Dr. Randal Lea. Both bring extensive backgrounds in health, psychology, and community leadership, with deep commitments to education, healing, and cross-disciplinary inquiry. Their presence further strengthens the Board’s capacity to guide OPUS through this next phase of strategic development.
A Living Archive on Campus
The presence of OPUS Archives on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute remains a cornerstone of our identity. Beyond preserving the physical collections, the archive provides a space for quiet reading, spontaneous discovery, and dialogue with the ideas and people whose materials live here. The shelves, the setting, and the staff together form an environment where the past meets the present in generative and meaningful ways.
Reference and Use Services
In recent months, we’ve seen a continued increase in the number of reference requests and research appointments. We provide support for scholars, students, authors, and documentary filmmakers exploring topics that span mythology, depth psychology, archetypal studies, religious history, feminist spirituality, and the arts. OPUS staff work closely with researchers to identify relevant materials, offer guidance, and when appropriate to share digitized content under our usage policies.
Research Sessions and Residency Options
In addition to standard reference appointments, OPUS offers an extended Researcher-in-Residence option for individuals whose work would benefit from immersive access to our collections. This option provides dedicated time, space, and support to work deeply within a particular collection. To inquire about scheduling or eligibility, contact our staff via email.
Classroom Presentations and Teaching in the Archives
This fall, OPUS will continue to offer presentations and in-class visits for Pacifica Graduate Institute faculty and students. Whether introducing archival concepts, supporting thesis research, or offering thematic presentations tied to collections, we work closely with faculty to design sessions that enhance learning and encourage creative use of archival materials.
Legacy Digital Lab
The OPUS Digital Lab remains an essential part of our preservation workflow and a space for experimentation with tools that bridge analog and digital media. Current projects include audiovisual reformatting, metadata validation, and legacy media migration. This infrastructure supports our digitization partnerships and enables OPUS to maintain in-house stewardship of fragile and unique materials.
Update from Zurich
At the 23rd IAAP Congress in Zurich, Steve Aizenstat joined Stephen Garratt, Robert Bosnak, and Tine Papič for a panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence & Analytical Psychology. He also co-hosted a wine and cheese reception and virtual tour event introducing OPUS Archives to new international colleagues. Enjoy some photos from the event and panel below.
Finding Aids Project
We continue the work to ensure long-term usability, visibility, and interoperability of our archival records and will support new researcher discovery tools in the coming year. To better enhance the collections search function and discoverability for access and use, we are currently finalizing descriptive elements across multiple collections and preparing to migrate and standardize their corresponding collection inventories. This is all encompassed in our ongoing finding aids project with focused work on the Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) framework.
11th hour update: Updated finding aid collection inventories for the Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig Papers, Katherine Sanford Papers and Works of Art, and Tony Joseph Papers are in progress and nearing completion. These inventories will enhance search and discoverability across our holdings. Next, we will begin applying updates to the collections of Christine Downing, Jill Mellick, and Marion Woodman. The Marija Gimbutas collection, which contains over 300 archival boxes, will follow.
Digital Exhibits and Omeka Platform
Our new Archives Assistant Stephanie Grimes has taken the lead on revitalizing our digital exhibits program. With a strong foundation in digital humanities and public-facing scholarship, she is developing our next online exhibit, dedicated to the life and legacy of Dr. Marija Gimbutas. This exhibit is scheduled for release in late October and will be the first in a series of refreshed digital engagements with OPUS materials.
Joseph Campbell Foundation Digitization Project
Our partnership with the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF) to preserve and digitize original film and video footage continues. In early June, OPUS hosted a multi-day digitization lab in Santa Barbara, resulting in high-resolution preservation copies of rare and at-risk video materials. These efforts help safeguard and increase access to Campbell’s audiovisual legacy for future generations of researchers and storytellers.
Pacifica Graduate Volunteers
We are fortunate to welcome a number of Pacifica Graduate Institute students and recent graduates who have stepped forward as volunteers since last spring. Their work in the stacks and with our staff is helping us sustain critical tasks while also providing opportunities for hands-on archival experience. Their presence reinforces OPUS as both a professional site of memory work and a dynamic learning environment.
Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship
Our current CDDF fellows continue their extended research residencies with OPUS. Their projects span ecofeminism, mythology, somatic studies, and visual culture. Fellows work onsite in the archives and digital lab while also contributing reflections and public presentations. We look forward to publishing their insights and sharing their work with our broader community in the new year.
Call for Submissions – Downing, Mellick, Woodman, Sanford
We invite community members, alumni, scholars, and readers of this newsletter to contribute to our ongoing editorial initiatives. We are currently accepting submissions for our Legacy Series and Ten Blue Links editions dedicated to Christine Downing, Jill Mellick, Marion Woodman, and Kate Sanford. Submissions may include essays, archival reflections, poems, bibliographies, and other forms of public scholarship. Please contact us if you have a contribution in mind.
Gimbutas and Goddesses Series Update
After a brief summer pause, we are preparing new installments of our Gimbutas and Goddesses editorial series. Past issues have explored themes of Old Europe, divine messengers, astrology, and symbolic language through the lens of Dr. Gimbutas’s work and those she influenced. We look forward to publishing new voices this fall. For readers catching up, past issues are available at OPUS Archives.
Ten Blue Links and Legacy Series
We continue to accept submissions for our Ten Blue Links feature highlighting curated, annotated digital resources that extend the reach of our collections. The first installment focused on Dr. Marija Gimbutas. We also welcome short essays, meditations, and reflections for our Legacy Series. These editorial offerings create space for scholarly engagement as well as personal connection to our elders and luminaries.
Current Hours and Access
Please email us to schedule your appointment. OPUS is open to researchers by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and Fridays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We welcome students, faculty, and visiting researchers to join us in the Marion Woodman Library and Reading Room where access to our materials is supported by onsite staff and a living archive atmosphere.
Thank You for Your Support
As always, we welcome your support to continue this work. Contributions help fund ongoing digitization, processing, and public programming. Tax-deductible donations may be made through our donation page here.
Stay tuned for continued updates and announcements.
On behalf of OPUS Archives,
Jennifer Frémont, MA, MLS
Archivist and Administrative Director
OPUS Archives and Research Center
on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute
801 Ladera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108