Picture Ann Arbor
November 10, 2005
Okay, now this is cool. Found on The Shifted Librarian, the Ann Arbor District Library (jeebers, they’re just full of good ideas, aren’t they?) is offering Picture Ann Arbor:
Our mission is to gather, capture and share information and images that reflect everyday life in our community. Later this fall we will have many new enhancements. Meanwhile, you may bring your photographs and other items to one of the following scanning sessions….
Wow. Free scanning of photographs, community engagement at the library, and collaboration. Can’t beat that.
November 10th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
I remember thinking, “Oh, like AADL is doing?” when I came across this passage in that DaVinci Institute piece on the Future of Libraries: “Preserve the memories of your own communities. While most libraries have become the document archive of their community, the memories of a community span much more than just documents. What did it sound like to drive down Main Street in 1950? What did it smell like to walk into Joe’s Bakery in the early mornings of 1965? Who are the people in these community photos and why were they important? Memories come in many shapes and forms. Don’t let yours disappear.
November 11th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
Los Angeles Public Library started doing this years ago with a program called “Shades of L.A.” The photos were gathered on a series of days dedicated to different ethnic communities in L.A. The photos are digitized and on the LAPL Web site as part of the photo collection: http://www.lapl.org
Description of the collection ( http://www.lapl.org/catalog/photo_collectioninfo.html ):
“An archive of 10,000 photographs representing the contemporary and historic diversity of families in Los Angeles. Images were chosen from family albums and copied in a project sponsored by Photo Friends, a library support group. They include daily life, social organizations, work, personal and holiday celebrations, and migration and immigration activities.”
There is an unfortunate picture of me at 13 years old in that collection. Which is why my last name isn’t on this comment.
November 13th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Another great site! Thanks for sharing that with us Ruth!