digital forsyth: through a social entrepreneurial lens
DESCRIPTION
Digital Forsyth (DF) was a collaborative effort among 4 institutions to create an online collection of digital photos pertaining to Forsyth County (NC) history. Digital Forsyth was a 3 year project that digitized over 12,000 photographs and made them freely available to the world using an innovative WordPress interface that invites user participation through comments. It includes lesson plans for teachers and themed essays.TRANSCRIPT
Digital ForsythThrough a Social Entrepreneurial Lens
Susan Sharpless SmithDigitizing our Cultural HistoryLLAMA WebinarSeptember 19, 2012
Forsyth County Public Library
C. G. O’Kelly Library, Winston Salem State University
Old Salem Museum and Gardens
Z. Smith Reynolds Library/Coy C. Carpenter Library,Wake Forest University
Project’s Genesis
• A 2004 brainstorming meeting among 3 Forsyth County Libraries– A desire to identify collaborative projects to
• Improve services to the community• Increase opportunities for ongoing interlibrary interaction
– Outcome: Everyone had historic photo collections and they were high demand items by our users
Project Framework
• Funded through LSTA Grants (NCEcho)– 2005 Planning Grant– 2006-2009 Multiyear Collaborative Grant
• Planning Grant formed framework that was used for the digitization grant
Project Mission
Project VisionUsers will turn to Digital Forsyth as the definitive online repository of cultural heritage resources held by Forsyth County institutions.
Through digitization, Digital Forsyth, a collaboration of cultural heritage institutions in Forsyth County, North Carolina, facilitates access to cultural, historical and scientific heritage photograph collections, thereby increasing interest in and knowledge of the past and informing future generations.
Project Processes
• Decentralized production• Centralized grant administration• Cross institution collaborative workgroups• Major process goal: Rich user experience
– Infrastructure vs. public interface– Creating rich data– Leveraging educational value
Infrastructure: DSpace
wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/jspui/handle/10339/1
Public Interface: WordPress
digitalforsyth.org
Rich Data
Educational Value
Teacher workshop to create lesson plans
Meeting project goals through a rich public interface
• Telling stories• Community photo sharing• User commenting
User Experience
Telling Stories
Photo Sharing
User Commenting
Who Uses Digital Forsyth?
Outreach Grant: Preserving Forsyth’s Past
Contact Information
Susan Sharpless Smith
Associate Dean
Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Wake Forest University