Community Memory & Digital Inclusion Projects Ideas and service priorities

Inspired by IMLS Big Opportunities for Small Libraries grant category definitions: Community Memory Libraries and archives not only serve as stewards of our nation’s knowledge and collections, but also as trusted spaces for community engagement and dialogue. This project category centers on engaging local communities in the collection, documentation, and preservation of their local histories, experiences, and identities. Digital Inclusion Libraries have an important role in promoting digital inclusion and increasing access to information, ideas, and networks. This category focuses on projects that support the role libraries play in promoting digital literacy, providing internet access, and enabling community engagement through civic data and civic technology.

Topic 1: Local history items - in library’s collection Local History: Items in library’s collection: digitize materials that are held by the library. Directories and property information Reedsburg - property survey Stoughton - phone directories Scrapbooks Richland Co. Digital History Room- personal scrapbook Community interest collections Stoughton - buttons and coins /Syttende Mai festival Jane Morgan, Cambria - postcards *Note: library newspaper collections are not being digitized at this time*

Topic 2: Local history items - in community’s collection Local History: In the community: digitize items that are held by community members. Invite community members to digitize their materials at the library. Use library’s own equipment - Madison Borrow SCLS digitization equipment - Columbus Community members encouraged to add digital copy to the library’s holdings. Could be developed into a library program.

Topic 3: Library history Library History: capture your library’s history. Scrapbooks Albertson Memorial Library, new building Annual reports Kilbourn - 1902 Statistical Report Conference materials Kilbourn - 1938 District Library Conference notes Really cool notes - especially see the update from Elroy Library programs Kilbourn - SLP, 1988 Bookmobile services Dane County Library Service, photo

Topic 4: Oral history Oral History: capture your community’s oral history or digitize recordings in your library’s collection. Ruth Culver Community Library Digitized community interviews - telephone operators Kilbourn Digitized community interviews - tourism history (Wisco Sassy!) Recordings from the WI Dells Minirama, 1960 Rosemary Garfoot Community member interviews - in progress.

Topic 5: Community Engagement and Programs Community engagement and programs: opportunities for community members to engage with one another, the library, and the library’s digital collections. Scanning programs Columbus Madison Oral history interviews Storycorp example Public programs Public presentations centered on unique materials, i.e., a program about historic businesses, industries, community events Displays

Topic 6: Other Other? Anything else? What’s on your wishlist?

Help us determine service priorities: Over lunch, please: Review the 6 topics. Identify your top 2 topics of interest with yellow dots. Yes! You can use both dots on one topic. Feel free to add comments, additional ideas, or specific program examples.