The Washington University Libraries created a digital repository called "Documenting Ferguson" to archive community reactions to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO in 2014. A project team collected and made accessible images, videos, audio recordings, and other materials contributed by community members, documenting diverse perspectives on the events. The repository aimed to preserve a freely available resource for studying this important event. Issues around copyright, anonymity, and collaborating with other local institutions to enhance the collection are discussed.
1. Documenting Ferguson:
Building a community digital repository
Washington University Libraries
• Rudolph Clay, Head of Library Diversity Initiatives and Outreach Services, African & African-
American Studies Librarian, and Urban Studies Librarian
• Shannon Davis, Digital Library Services Manager
• Meredith Evans, Associate University Librarian
• Makiba Foster, American History, American Culture Studies, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality
Studies Librarian
• Chris Freeland, Associate University Librarian
• Nadia Ghasedi, Film and Media Archivist
• Jennifer Kirmer, Digital Archivist
• Sonya Rooney, University Archivist
• Micah Zeller, Copyright & Digital Access Librarian
2. Project Team
• Assembled August 21, 2014
• Tasked with collecting and archiving community reactions
to the shooting death of Michael Brown August 9
• Website and contribution infrastructure, partnership with
Archive-It established by August 22
• Additional members joined the team later in August and a
Statement of Purpose was drafted
3. • Preserve and make accessible community and media-
generated, original content that was captured and created
following the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown
• Create a freely available resource for students, scholars
teachers, and the greater community
• Provide diverse perspectives, especially those of the local
community, of the events surrounding conflicts in
Ferguson, MO
Purpose
5. Woman with
Obama sign
Greater Grace
Church
Creator: Mark Regester
Date: August 17, 2014
Mark Regester, “Woman with Obama sign Greater Grace Church,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions,
accessed August 12, 2015, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8280.
6. Protesters
holding signs in
the street. W.
Florissant
Creator: Mark Regester
Date: August 17, 2014
Mark Regester, “Protesters holding signs in the street. W. Florissant,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions,
accessed August 12, 2015, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8286.
7. Ferguson,
Night 3, photo 4
Creator: Joel Levy
Date: August 11, 2014
Joel Levy, “Ferguson, Night 3, photo 4,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015,
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8669.
8. Ferguson, Day
6, photo 45
Creator: Joel Levy
Date: August 14, 2014
Joel Levy, “Ferguson, Day 6, photo 45,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015,
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8945.
9. Protesters
Creator: Holly Schroeder
Date: August 30, 2014
Holly Schroeder, “Protesters,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015,
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8453
10. News coverage
from Ferguson,
MO October 09
2014
Creator: Argus
Streaming News
Date: October 09, 2014
9:12 pm CST
Argus Streaming News, “News coverage from Ferguson, MO October 09, 2014,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections &
Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/11411.
11. Shaw
neighborhood
protests
October 10,
2014
Creator: Adam Ehlen
Date: October 10, 2014
Adam Ehlen, “Shaw neighborhood protests October 10, 2014,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions,
accessed August 12, 2015, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/10030.
13. Case: State of
Missouri v
Darren Wilson.
Photos: Darren
Wilson’s
uniform and
weapon
Source: The New York
Times
Date: August 2014
Gore Perry Reporting & Video Company, “Case: State of Missouri v Darren Wilson. Photos: Photos of Darren Wilson’s uniform
and weapon,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015,
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/10999.
14. News coverage
from Ferguson,
MO November
16, 2014
Creator: Argus
Streaming News
Date: November 16,
2014 12:06 pm CST
Argus Streaming News, “News coverage from Ferguson, MO November 16, 2014,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections &
Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/11429.
15. Am I Next?
Creator: Anonymous
“Am I Next,” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed August 12, 2015,
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/11440.
16. Other media
• Oral histories
• Audio
• Video
• Creative works
View the collection
17. Contribution process
1. Enter basic information about your submission
2. OMIT creator name and email to remain anonymous to
the public
3. Attach a file
4. Enter your name and email (required, but only visible to
website administrator)
5. Agree to the Terms & Conditions
• http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/contribution
20. Other Related Projects:
Oral History Interviews
• Documenting Ferguson and Washington University
Archives Oral History Project
• Focus: WU staff who live in the Ferguson area
• Spring semester class project
• Summer student worker project
• Divided Cities (Professor Jeffrey McCune, Professor
Clarissa Hayward, Associate University Librarian Meredith
Evans)
• Focus: self-identified activists
• Other projects across campus
22. Traditional Appraisal
• includes research and input from different individuals
• an evaluation of the collection content within the
framework of a collection development policy
• an assessment of the content for research use
• an assessment of originality and authenticity
• ownership transfers to archive
23. Documenting Ferguson collecting
• no selection
• no assessment of content
• no quality control
• copy of image/ document (the original remains on the
creator’s device)
• contributor retains rights
28. Joint Statement of the
Regional Collecting Initiative on Ferguson
As institutions representing various aspects of the community—
education, culture, and civic societies—we believe that the work of
capturing and preserving this historic moment is a responsibility we all
share and falls within the missions of our respective organizations…
…We collect, preserve, organize, and make accessible to the larger
community that which has been shared with us, continually enhancing
its ability to serve as an evolving public record.
• Ferguson Municipal Public Library, Scott Bonner, Director
• Harris-Stowe State University, Barbara Noble, Director of Library Services
• Missouri History Museum, Christopher Gordon, Director, Library & Collections
• Missouri Humanities Council, Dr. William S. Belko, Executive Director
• Saint Louis University, David Cassens, Dean of Libraries
• University of Missouri–St. Louis, Christopher Dames, Dean of Libraries
• University of Missouri–St. Louis, Dr. Kathleen Nigro, Department of Sociology,
Gerontology, and Gender Studies
• Washington University in St. Louis, Jeffrey Trzeciak, University Librarian
29. Future Work
• Contributing content to the Digital Public Library of
America
• Help build a national collection of images & other digital media from
contributing organizations
• New research projects:
• Documenting the Now (Meredith Evans)
• Archiving & visualizing tweets from #Ferguson & #BlackLivesMatter
• Motivating factors for contributing to an online archive (Chris
Freeland)
• What motivates users & what barriers exist
• Continued collaboration with faculty & organizations
30. Questions?
Mark Regester, “Protester holding a sign,” WUSTL Digital
Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed May 5,
2015. http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8266
Why not let contributors select a Creative Commons license?
Issues wt revocability
▫ CC licenses are irrevocable. This means that once you receive material under a CC license, you will always have the right to use it under those license terms, even if the licensor changes his or her mind and stops distributing under the CC license terms.
Platform
▫ functionality (currently) to assign licenses individually: only by collection
Pub/priv
▫ 4.0 CCs requires licensor to waive all publicity, privacy, and personality rights (implied under 3.0 and earlier)
Anon
▫ important to preserve option for anonymous submissions
∑ no perfect system
*OGC advised caution @ outset
[What accords best w/ purpose of project?]