by Sara Ring
Quick Summary
Join us on Wednesday, March 6 for the guest webinar Co-Curating the Past: Community Collection Building through History Harvests, presented by Greg Kocken and Daniel Ott from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Register now for this free webinar.
Join us for the guest webinar Co-Curating the Past: Community Collection Building through History Harvests, presented by Greg Kocken and Daniel Ott from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Wednesday, March 6, 2:00 p.m.
Register now (no registration fee)
Description
How can librarians, archivists, and curators become more relevant to contemporary cultural movements and engaged in the collection building process with their communities? This webinar will explore the theory and methods behind implementing digital co-curation history harvest events by focusing on a case-study in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
In 2015, cultural leaders from Eau Claire, Wisconsin boldly declared the region to be the “Music Capital of the North.” Clearly, the burgeoning music scene’s impact on the community was understood, but the roots of the local music scene were unknown. Harnessing this moment, a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Special Collections and Archives Department, Public History Program, a local museum, and a local radio station developed a series of events that invited the community to contribute to preserving their history. Offering on-going history harvest events provided an opportunity for individuals to contribute stories and artifacts to a local music digital archive. Contributors, stakeholders, and the public can access these resources online through a digital collection.
Drawing on this case study, the presenters will explore the role of engagement in developing a community of contributors, building a learning experience for students, and creating a model that can be replicated within any budget. Audience members will be invited into this conversation to ask questions about the logistics of organizing community digitization projects and the challenges encountered by project partners. By implementing the history harvest process historical agencies of any size can build new collections, connect with their communities, and demonstrate their relevance in the 21st century.
Presenters
Greg Kocken is the Head Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He has a public history background and completed his graduate training in archives and records administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He played an integral role in the Sounds of Eau Claire project by developing metadata guidelines, building the digital collection, and preserving the digital files collected during the project.
Daniel Ott is the director of the "Sounds of Eau Claire" Public History Project at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, overseeing the recruitment of institutional and community stakeholders. He holds a PhD in History from Loyola University Chicago and lectures in the history department at the UW-Eau Claire.
Cover image: Photograph taken by Daniel Ott depicting UW-Eau Claire public history students processing collections in McIntyre Library.
