Welcome to Creating Local Linkages. This site is a free resource for public librarians and their patrons who are interested in digital local history. The content – the modules and resource pages – is available to everyone.
Through this site, learn to expand the historical narrative of your communities using local history and genealogy collections as well as digital repositories to create digital local history collections and exhibits with Omeka. While not all librarians may have the resources or inclination to build their own digital local history projects, the content in this site can serve as a resource to help them help patrons to create their own work. Public librarians can also use this site as a starting point for brainstorming possibilities for engaging in collaborative digital local history programming with patrons.
The modules are organized as a sequence, as the content gradually builds from an initial question or idea to the beginnings of a digital local history project. We recommend that you follow that path through the content, but you can read the modules in any order, or read only those sections of interest to you. Each module is broken into sections; each section concludes with an activity. At the end of each module there is an assignment. Each activity and assignment is designed to contribute to your digital collection or exhibit.
Some tips as you explore the curriculum:
- The first page of each module contains an overview of that module’s content, outcomes, and the time it will take to complete the module. The entire course is designed to take approximately fifty hours to complete.
- Be sure to do all the readings for each section – you may want to open them in new pages or tabs, or print them out.
- Read through every tutorial completely before you begin, in order to ensure you understand the objectives and outcome.
- The Resources section includes a glossary that should help if you encounter unfamiliar terms or concepts.