Press Play: local history via slideshows and streaming video

A local history collection is a unique and valuable asset to the
library and the community. Learn how the Chelsea District Library
created a website to highlight and improve access to their community’s
history. StoriesofChelsea.org was developed by a non-technology
librarian as an online access point for local history resources. It
incorporates the old and the new of Chelsea, where historical photos
are exhibited alongside video archives of a popular local cable
television show. StoriesofChelsea.org is also an avenue for promoting
library-created content by serving as the home of the library’s oral
history project. This project uses video to record oral histories on
the various topics including one room schoolhouses, WWII veterans,
farmers and local landmarks and produce feature-length documentaries.
Both the individual interviews and completed documentaries are
available to stream from StoriesofChelsa.org. This presentation is
about identifying the gems in your local history collection and
creating a forum to give them maximum exposure, without compromising
their fragile physical state, using free or affordable user-friendly
technology resources. Preserving and exhibiting local history
digitally can be an effective and simple way to showcase your
resources and connect with your community