DX Fest: The People’s Archive: What’s In It, How to Use It

This conversation will highlight the vast public record housed right here in Washington — historical photographs, civic documents, and primary sources anyone can access, often for free — and what it actually takes to turn an archive into a film. Lisa Warwick , the DC Public Library’s People’s Archivist , is joined by Marisa Fox , director of Double Exposure’s Closing Night film, My Underground Mother , and Bonnie Rowan , the archival researcher who helped unearth some of the buried records at the heart of Fox’s film. Come learn what’s actually in the archive, how to start using it for your own research, family history, or storytelling, and what it looks like when that research becomes a documentary. Moderated by filmmaker Doug Block , founder and co-host of The D-Word . Lisa Warwick is the Manager of The People’s Archive at DC Public Library . Warwick has been instrumental in enhancing reference services and access to the archive. In her role as Manager, she oversees a staff of eleven; caring for DC Public Library’s special collections, including the Black Studies; Washingtoniana; DC Punk Archive; Go-Go Archive; and Peabody Room Collections. A small sample of the collections can be seen online in our recently updated online repository, Dig DC . Previously, as a Coordinator, Warwick created (and adjusted) reference workflows in 2020, during the complex move across multiple locations into the newly renovated Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. She also developed a comprehensive department manual and implemented virtual reference options; including collaborating across the library system to establish a department-wide LibAnswers reference queue. Earlier in her career, Warwick worked in academic and specialty research libraries, including the University of Maryland and Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, before coming to the DC Public Library in 2013. She holds her M.A. in Information Science from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, biking, and reading at home with her cat, Bruce. Marisa Fox is a veteran journalist and a first-time, awrd-winning film director who has been a producer at FX, Channel 13-WNET (NYC’s PBS station), Vh1 and MTV. As a correspondent for Haaretz, Newsday, New York and a contributor to The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone , CNN, Forward and The New York Times , she has reported on major news stories from 9/11 to the opioid crisis, from Charlottesville to January 6th to October 7th. She’s a “she-source” on gender and genocide for the Women’s Media Center, founded by Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, was deputy editor at Billboard and InStyle , helped relaunch T he Hollywood Reporter , and worked on award-winning digital features for Hearst, where she served as entertainment director and wrote cover stories. Fox’s more than 10-year global search to uncover her late mother’s hidden past led her to curate one of the only women’s Holocaust monuments, at the former Gabersdorf Jewish women’s forced labor camp, as well as a digital exhibit of women’s testimonies with USC’s Shoah Foundation. Fox is a 2022 Jewish Film Institute resident, won Pitch Royale at the Australian International Screen Forum and was a finalist at Paley Doc Pitch. She cut her teeth in investigative journalism as a college intern at Chicago’s Better Government Association and covered foreign affairs as an intern for the Jerusalem Post’s Washington, DC bureau. She holds an MS and BS in Journalism and a BA in French Language & Literature from Northwestern University, earning a National Magazine Award for her master’s thesis publication Arts Chicago . She is currently writing a book about her search for her mother’s missing past. Doug Block is a New York-based documentary director-producer and highly sought-after story consultant. His critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning feature films — including 51 BIRCH STREET, THE KIDS GROW UP, and 112 WEDDINGS — have screened at dozens of leading international film festivals and have been released theatrically and broadcast on television throughout the world. His popular Substack newsletter, “Getting Personal with Doug Block,” focuses on personal documentary filmmaking, first-person storytelling, and producing for film. In addition, Doug is the founder and co-host of The D-Word, the leading online discussion forum and community for documentary filmmakers worldwide. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.