It's Wednesday, you deserve a treat, like an episode of the Hell Gate Podcast! Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of his commissioner for the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS): Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, who's currently the dean of the Barnard College library, and also a writer and zine-maker. DORIS preserves the records of the City's government, and manages the Municipal Archives, which give the public access to that history.
"The histories and hopes of New Yorkers across all five boroughs are in good hands with Shawn(ta), who has spent two decades exploring the power of libraries and archives to shape, challenge, and expand our collective memory," Mayor Mamdani told Hell Gate in a written statement about Smith-Cruz's appointment. "At a time when neighbors are being silenced, books are banned, and misinformation is wielded by bad actors, her leadership and commitment to equity in storytelling and information access is essential."
On Tuesday, Smith-Cruz spoke briefly with Hell Gate about her vision for making the City's archives more accessible to New Yorkers. Her answers focused on prioritizing communities that don't see themselves in New York City's archives through "participatory archiving," and arming New Yorkers with the tools to record their own part of history for generations to come.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.