2026 ALISE Annual Conference

While archives are foundational institutions, public understanding of them is largely mediated through popular culture rather than direct experience. Although stereotypical film portrayals are well-documented, the pathway from media representation to the cognitive structures shaping public behavior remains untested. This dissertation addresses this gap through an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study integrating Cultural Representation Theory and Schema Theory via the Stereotype Content Model.Currently, a pilot study is testing the Phase 1 content analysis protocol on a subset of a 48-film corpus, refining a codebook designed to capture visual, narrative, and hegemonic codes regarding archival accessibility. Subsequently, Phase 1 will analyze the full film corpus, while Phase 2 will deploy a quantitative survey comparing the general public to professional archivists. Ultimately, this research operationalizes the "experience gap," testing whether public archival schemas form primarily through cinematic exposure in the absence of direct, real-world experience.