10 Resources for Community Digital Archives | The Signal: Digital Preservation

"We write frequently on this blog about the value of personal digital archiving–empowering people to pass on digital memories to their families and others. We’ve always seen public libraries as key allies in promoting personal archiving, and have highlighted libraries that undertake outreach and training in this area. Photo by Virtueel Platform, on Flickr There is a related role for public libraries and allied organizations: facilitating development of community digital archives. A community collection could consist of born-digital and digitized images, audio, text or other cultural heritage materials that document local history. Community members use the collection to get a deeper understanding of their location, and people often are eager to donate their own personal materials. This is an approach that has been gaining ground over the last few years. The American Library Association recently suggested (PDF) that public libraries consider digital special collections as a strategic option in planning for the future. Here, in no special order, are 10 resources that provide useful insight into developing, managing and accessing community digital archives ..."