IN BRIEF
Archivist William Benemann says he learns the most about Berkeley Law by following up on intriguing questions.
FRAMING HISTORY:
“A
rchivists are the most powerful people in the known universe,” says Berkeley Law’s William Benemann. “History will be written based on what gets saved—and archivists get to decide what that will be.” Benemann arrived at UC Berkeley 26 years ago, moving from head of cataloging at the Bancroft Library to head of technical services at Berkeley Law before becoming the library’s first archivist. “When I started the archives in 2000,” he says, “very few people much about “ History will be written based knew Berkeley Law’s hison what gets saved—and tory. I’ve learned archivists get to decide what most of what I know about the school that will be.” because someone —William Benemann dropped into my office or emailed me with an intriguing question.” The Law School Archives are a community collection relying on donations of material— 10
| TRANSCRIPT | SPRING 2015
and memories. The collection includes faculty minutes, course catalogs, photographs, oral histories, posters, T-shirts, and audio and video files of school events. In December, Benemann received the university’s Distinguished Librarian Award. The honor recognizes excellence in librarianship, especially as it furthers UC’s teaching and research missions. In addition to his role as archivist, Benemann is a scholar in LGBT studies, American history, and sexuality studies. He has published three nonfiction books, most recently Men in Eden: William Drummond Stewart and Same-Sex Desire in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade (University of Nebraska Press, 2012). “An archivist can aid you in your search to locate material you didn’t even know was there,” says Benemann, who is always willing to help patrons find their way through the library’s holdings. Those who wish to view the archives—or contribute to them—can reach him at wbenemann@law.berkeley.edu. —KC Trommer
JIM BLOCK
William Benemann: Berkeley Law’s Treasure Guardian