SS 2.4: Understanding the past to better understand today
Librarian Dulce Kersting-Lark explains how archives preserve history and connect Idahoans with their shared past
BY Danae Lenz
Photo by Eric Taylor
July 28, 2026
Meet Dulce Kersting-Lark, head of Special Collections and Archives at University of Idaho Library. In this episode, she discusses how archives preserve Idaho's history and why understanding the past can help us better understand our communities today.
Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.
How do archives help preserve history?
University of Idaho Library's Special Collections and Archives houses thousands of cubic feet of historical records documenting the university, Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. Kersting-Lark explains how archivists preserve these materials and make them available to researchers, students and the public.
The conversation explores the role archives play in documenting history, why primary sources are essential to understanding the past and how America250 provides an opportunity for people to connect with their own communities' stories.
Kersting-Lark also encourages Idahoans to explore local archives, libraries and historical societies to better understand the people, events and decisions that have shaped the places they call home.
Music
“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified.
Chapters
(0:00) Why does history matter?
(01:01) Meet Dulce Kirsting-Lark
(1:48) Inside Special Collections and Archives
(03:54) Who can use the archives?
(05:06) Why archivists love America250
(06:56) What history can teach us today