The Society of Southwest Archivists will host a special screening of Change the Subject, a 55-minute documentary film that examines how the Library of Congress subject heading “illegal alien” became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill.  A short discussion on immigration, campus activism, and library terminology will take place at the conclusion of the film.

Change the Subject tells the story of a group of students at Dartmouth College, who from their first days at the school, were committed to advancing and promoting the rights and dignity of undocumented peoples.  In partnership with staff at Dartmouth College, these students – now alumni – produced a film to capture their singular effort at confronting an instance of anti-immigrant sentiment in their library catalog.  Their advocacy took them all the way from their campus library to the halls of Congress, showing how an instance of campus activism entered the national spotlight, and how a cataloging term became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill.  To view the film trailer, visit https://vimeo.com/294448570