The Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative (RWDI) connects libraries, archives, and cultural organizations across the state with graduate student interns to digitize local history collections. Through these partnerships, RWDI helps ensure that photographs, yearbooks, published histories, and archival materials documenting Wisconsin communities are preserved and shared online for anyone to explore.
This fall, we have four host sites and students participating in the initiative. They are:
Appleton Historical Society. UW-Madison iSchool graduate student, Morgan McFadden, will work with Appleton Historical Society Board of Directors president, Gwen Sargeant, to digitize a variety of materials that document Appleton history.
Fond du Lac Public Library. UW-Madison iSchool graduate student, Jessica Russell, will be leading a project to digitization materials that highlight Fond du Lac Public Library’s history including photos and documents. Jessica will be working closely with local history and genealogy librarian, John Serrano.
Mequon-Thiensville Historical Society. UW-Milwaukee SOIS graduate student, Maria Muto, will work with Frank L. Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville director, Rachel Muchin-Young, to digitize materials from the historical society’s vast collection. Rachel also serves on the historical society’s Board of Directors. Board member and volunteer, Bob Blazich, will lend support to the project.
Pritzker Military Museum & Library. UW-Milwaukee SOIS graduate student, Leah Kate Welch, will be leading a project to digitize materials from the museum’s collections. Leah will be working with Director of Museum Collections, Dustin DePue and the entire collections team at the museum’s location in Kenosha.
We’re thrilled to welcome our fall 2026 participants! The cohort will kick off their semester with a daylong training in Madison, Wisconsin on September 1st. Project work will begin in early September and continue through mid-December. Stay tuned for more information about our fall cohort participants and their project work. We can’t wait to share their digitized collections!
Our sincere thanks to the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, UW-Madison iSchool, UW-Milwaukee SOIS and WiLS and Recollection Wisconsin staff and leadership for their continued support of our Digitization Initiative. Their commitment makes it possible for libraries and cultural organizations across the state to preserve community history while mentoring the next generation of information professionals. These partnerships play a vital role in keeping Wisconsin’s local stories accessible, discoverable, and meaningful for years to come.
For more information about the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative, visit https://recollectionwisconsin.org/rwdi or contact vicki (at) wils.org.
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