This Director’s Report covers the topic of DCPL’s Memory Lab and how the Memory Lab Model is being used in a variety of community archive spaces even outside of the Memory Lab Network. The report specifically covers the Queens Memory Project which is a collaboration between Queens College and Queens Public Library in an effort to record local history as told by the people who lived it.
My focus was drawn to this example because my initiative also involves an academic library collaborating with local orgs. I’m proposing that College of the Sequoias (COS) create a community archive space which would serve both on and off campus community members. COS has long served the larger community by inviting local residents to attend events on campus, and it’s become part of the COS brand.
I’m also drawn to creating an archival community space because this area is rural and has a high need for technology literacy instruction. This archival space would allow residents to digitize their own aging media formats (VHS, photographs, cassettes, etc.) while learning a new valuable skill. It’s an added bonus that the area also has a rich historic legacy which has only recently gained some publicity. Ideally, the space would serve the needs of both private parties and public entities (such as the Visalia Heritage Foundation) by digitizing both private and public histories.