Its mission is to collect, preserve, and share the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in San Diego, Northern Baja California, and the Imperial County region.

Lambda Archives preserves varied items including ephemera, manuscripts, event memorabilia, photographs, textiles, and more.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the primary focus of Lambda Archives is to preserve LGBT history and culture in the San Diego–Tijuana region.

The exhibit, curated by Lillian Faderman,[5] covered the history of LGBTQ people in San Diego and included a portion of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

[citation needed] The 2011 Honorees were Larry Baza, Jennifer LeSar, Doug Case, Carol Pierce, Judi Schaim, Jeff Wynne, George Murphy, Gloria Johnson, Max Disposti, Stewart Bornhoft, Bill Beck, Sara Beth Brooks (Youth Award).