Ar-risk youths as community ambassadors
Transcript of Ar-risk youths as community ambassadors
At-risk youths as community history ambassadors: The Young Achievers Digitizing Greensboro History Explorers Program
David Gwynn, UNCG University Libraries7th Annual iDEAL Summit, 14 November 2015
BackgroundCommunity Collections Project, 2013 - 2014
The partners▪ Community:▪ College Place United Methodist Church▪ West Market Street United Methodist Church▪ First Presbyterian Church▪ Lindley Elementary School
▪ Funding: UNCG Community-based Research Grant▪ UNCG Graduate School▪ UNCG Office of Undergraduate Research▪ UNCG Office of Leadership & Service-Learning
Project goals▪ Capture materials that might not otherwise make their way into traditional
repositories.▪ Determine what material was there and what holders of these items needed/wanted.▪ Develop strategies and “best practices” to preserve these materials in the field using
digital cameras and other cost-effective, user-friendly systems.▪ Teach partners how to digitize their own items inexpensively.▪ Present “hidden” items online giving access to the general public.▪ Build local history collections at UNCG and provide an “archives” site for the
partners. Build relationships and move toward the goal of a true community history web portal.
Community survey▪ Would your organization
welcome the opportunity to work with area colleges or other public institutions, to assist you in addressing these needs or issues?
Yes53%
Maybe
47%
Lessons learned▪ There is a definite interest (at least by the responding groups)
for assistance in preserving their historical materials, both physically and digitally.▪ Large majority of participants see the value in sharing their
history.▪ Understand that this is not the first priority for participants. ▪ Realistically, there may not be much digitization by the
partners themselves.
Hayes-Taylor ProjectYoung Achievers Digitizing Greensboro History
Partner▪ Hayes-Taylor YMCA▪ Established 1930s▪ Relocated 2015
IMLS Sparks!Ignition Grant▪ Test and evaluate specific innovations. ▪ Support deployment of groundbreaking new
tools, products, services, or organizational practices.
▪ Activities or approaches that involve risk.▪ Address problems, challenges, or needs and
make the findings widely and openly accessible.
▪ Projects with broad potential impact and significant Innovation
https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/sparks-ignition-grants-libraries
Rationale and goals▪ Inexpensive field digitization materials that might not
otherwise make their way into traditional repositories.▪ Service learning opportunity for students to learn IT skills
and be introduced to archives and primary source materials.▪ Students as “community ambassadors” for outreach.▪ Let the community define its own history. No “top-down”
approaches.
Rationale and goals▪ Have students work with older community members to
uncover “hidden” materials and stories.▪ Connect community members with appropriate archival
repositories.▪ Promote Hayes-Taylor YMCA’s history and its new facility.▪ Host a community scanning day for the general public.▪ Build a digital collection as part of UNCG’s local history portal.
Steps▪ Community meeting▪ Project presentation
Steps▪ Field trips and
education
Steps▪ Field digitization▪ Onsite digitization
Steps▪ Community scanning day▪ Exhibits
The website
http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/Community
Website
Sample content
Minute book, scrapbook
Sample content
Anniversary program, architectural drawings
Sample content
Hayes-Taylor YMCA, Original building and staff, 1930s Gabriel Grocery, ca.
1950
Sample content
Elementary school class photo, 1969 Loretha Foushee with Aaron Neville, early 2000s
Sample content
Dr. and Mrs. Walter Lewis McNair Johnson C. Smith University photo album
Lessons learned▪ Outreach requires more than a creative idea: Consider the potential for
extended outreach▪ Develop contacts: Don’t just “find stuff”▪ Promotion and publicity are key▪ Work with an established organization that has community connections in
place▪ Community youth can open doors▪ Collaboration requires communication in both directions▪ Funders reward collaboration
Questions?
More information▪David Gwynn, Digital Projects Coordinator, UNCG Libraries224 Jackson Library, UNCG▪Digital Collections: http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/▪ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncgdigital/▪ Email: [email protected]▪ Phone: 336.256.2606