Join Recollection Wisconsin and local history practitioners this summer at one of four virtual Digital Readiness Fairs! These free, half-day events offer a mix of activities and learning opportunities, and showcase digitization work from around the state. Hear from local history practitioners and how they have tackled digitization projects, including challenges, successes, and lessons learned… Read More…
NHPRC
Digital readiness and mid-point musings
The Building a Statewide Digital Readiness Community of Practice project has passed its halfway point! We’ve submitted our mid-year report to the NHPRC, and it feels like a good time to reflect on our accomplishments, challenges, and observations. When we proposed the project in early 2020, the original plan called for the Launch Committee and… Read More…
Door County Library: A Digital Readiness Case Study
About Door County Library Active since 1866, community libraries throughout Door County, Wisconsin combined in 1953 to become branches of the Door County Library (DCL). Currently there are seven branches and a main library in Sturgeon Bay which also houses the Miller Art Museum and the local history and genealogy collection in the Laurie History… Read More…
Midwest Archives Conference: Building a Statewide Digital Readiness Community of Practice
Earlier this spring, WiLS staff Vicki Tobias and Kristen Whitson presented at the Midwest Archives Conference annual conference on the Digital Readiness Community of Practice. Joined by Launch Committee members Robin Untz (Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society) and Janean Mollett Van Beckum (History Center of Washington County), the group shared the project origins and goals,… Read More…
“It’s all digital readiness, isn’t it?”
In past conversations and presentations, we’ve talked about the origins of this project and how it relates to other Recollection Wisconsin endeavors. Digital readiness and community building work is in our program DNA and, really, provides the foundation for so much of our work to digitize, share and preserve Wisconsin local history. Through our Digital… Read More…
Chippewa Valley Museum: A Digital Readiness Case Study
The Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire, Wisconsin connects people to the community and inspires curiosity by collecting, preserving and sharing the region’s historical and cultural resources. Significant collections document the history of farming and farm life, Gillette Safety Tire Factory, business and industry in Eau Claire including logging history, folk art, education, and the… Read More…
Save the Date for Virtual Digital Readiness Fairs
As the spring winds gust across the Wisconsin landscape, so too are we moving forward with the wind at our backs. This month in the Digital Readiness Community of Practice, we have several exciting developments to share. Digital fairs: Planning continues for our summer Digital Readiness Fairs. These free, half-day events will be held virtually… Read More…
Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center: A Digital Readiness Case Study
Located in Superior, Wisconsin, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center preserves and honors the memory of Major Richard I. (Dick) Bong and all veterans of World War II and subsequent conflicts, and provides educational resources for the Twin Ports area community and beyond. A native of Poplar, Wisconsin, Major Bong was known as America’s… Read More…
Building a Digital Readiness Community of Practice Update: Why Digitize?
As we continue to compile tools and resources for local history organizations to tackle digital readiness, we keep returning to one of the foundational questions of this initiative: why digitize? What motivates historical societies and public libraries to digitize their collections? During the 2019 planning grant that inspired our work, 85 Wisconsin history organizations answered… Read More…
Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society: A Digital Readiness Case Study
Located in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, the Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society (the Museum) is dedicated to preserving and sharing local pioneer and ancient Native American history. The Museum site opened in 1942, a year after the Society was founded. The Museum comprises seven pioneer buildings including the 1852 Baptist Church which houses the Society’s artifact… Read More…
