The 2018 Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference (#UMDCC18) will be held on November 8-9th at St. Catherine University campus, St. Paul, Minnesota. The UMDCC provides opportunities for digital collections creators and curators in the region and beyond to network, share best practices, participate in hands-on workshops, and learn from leaders in digital cultural heritage.
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.
How do we create an archive to address this issue? 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 the local music digital archive. Contributors, stakeholders, and the public can access these resources online through a digital collection.
This session will explore how the project evolved into a community-oriented, grant-funded digital collection building initiative. 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 challenges encountered by project partners.
