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: jdgwynn@uncg.edu▪ Phone: 336.256.2606