Preserving and Disseminating Ukrainian Cultural Heritage in the Diaspora: The Experience of the Ukrainian History and Education Center in the United States

The purpose of the work is to provide a case study in how one small Ukrainian American institution, the Ukrainian History and Education Center (UHEC), has navigated the challenges of fulfilling its mission of telling the stories of Ukraine and Ukrainian Americans through its museum and archives collections, as well as through digital outreach. Research methodology. This work is based primarily on the personal experience and institutional knowledge of the UHEC's archivist, who was active during the Center's transition from focusing on a small, primarily Ukrainian, local community to having a global online audience and gaining greater visibility in the broader American cultural and professional landscape. Scientific novelty of the research. While archivists and other cultural workers in Ukraine are likely aware that institutions doing similar work exist in the diaspora, many may not fully understand how many such institutions there are, their history, the work which they do, the nature of their collections, and the challenges and opportunities that they have and continue to encounter. This work intends to present a tiny glimpse into this world through the experience of one such institution. Conclusions. The UHEC, while small, holds some very important collections. It is working to preserve and disseminate these and is making extensive use of technology for audience building and outreach, as well as for digitization, preservation, and access to its collections. The former took on a particularly important role during the COVID pandemic, and has continued to the present day. The latter is primarily focused on the digitization of endangered magnetic audio recordings for purposes of both preservation and access. These materials, along with more traditional paper-based records, provide important documentation of not only Ukrainian history and culture, but also the history of Ukrainians in America. Thus, they are as much, if not more, about American history than that of Ukraine. The UHEC is striving to integrate itself into the American professional and cultural landscape, while still serving the needs of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans.