Please join us for a conversation across continents to celebrate the opening of the Manuel Quezon Papers online.

Quezon, first president of the Philippines, fought for independence throughout his career. Despite the importance of Quezon's archive, improving access to the material has been a long journey. This digital collection is the latest step forward.

This conversation brings together archivists who worked on the original Quezon materials as well as scholars who have used the collection for their research. Interviewed by Dr. Ricky Punzalan, they will explore the significance of the Quezon papers and what online access means for their future use.

“The digitization of the microfilmed Quezon papers is an important step in making the study of Philippine history, particularly the American colonial and commonwealth periods of the country, more accessible to anyone,” says Ricky Punzalan, Director of U-M’s Museum Studies Program, Associate Professor of Information, and a Filipino scholar. “I am happy to see that [the Bentley] has made a crucial step to highlight its Philippine collections, build partnerships based on consultation with institutions in the Philippines, and collaborate with Filipino scholars.”

Speakers include:

Fe Angela M. Verzosa (Retired Librarian and Archivist, one of the librarians who processed the Quezon Papers at the National Library of the Philippines)

Dr. Francis A. Gealogo (Professor, Ateneo de Manila University Department of History)

Veronica Sison (Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies).

Please note: this event takes place in the morning in the United States and in the evening in the Philippines.