Presented at the Capital Region regional meeting in Brodhead, Wisconsin for the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Council for Local History, August 14, 2014.

1. Bringing Local History Online
Emily Pfotenhauer, Recollection Wisconsin Program Manager, WiLS
Wisconsin Council for Local History Regional Meeting, Capital Region
Brodhead, Wisconsin – August 14, 2014

2. recollectionwisconsin.org
provides free access to a
growing set of state and
local history resources
from the collections of
libraries, archives,
museums and historical
societies across Wisconsin.
South Wood County Historical Museum
http://content.mpl.org/u?/swch,64

3. Recollection Wisconsin
also provides guidelines,
training and support to
contributing partners and
offers opportunities for
visitors to share their
own stories, images and
comments.
UW-Madison Archives
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/SSRecIDSearch?repl1=UW&r
epl2=UW.uwar00831.bib

4. Program sponsors and partners
• WiLS (Wisconsin Library Services)
• Milwaukee Public Library
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Wisconsin Historical Society
• Nicholas Family Foundation
• Academic libraries, public libraries, archives,
museums, and historical societies around the
state
Wisconsin Historical Society
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/248

5. Contributing Partners
recollectionwisconsin.org/map

6. August 2014: recollectionwisconsin.org includes…
199,403 historical resources
from 213 digital collections
…and more content is added every month.
McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids
http://content.mpl.org/u?/mcml,1319

7. • Photographs
• Postcards
• Letters
• Diaries
• Maps
• Yearbooks
• Scrapbooks
• Music
• Recipes
• City directories
• Local histories
• County histories
• Oral histories
• Artifacts
• Artworks
• Magazine articles
• Newspaper clippings
New Berlin Historical Society
http://content.mpl.org/u?/nbhs,33

8. Oshkosh Public Library
http://oshkoshpub.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collec
tion/p15089coll3/id/24
Behind the recollectionwisconsin.org website is a
search engine that brings together information
about the digital items contributed by our partners.
This search engine is like a bridge, linking users to
content from around the state.

9. Eau Claire
Ashland
Metadata, links and thumbnail
images harvested by UW-Madison
GLS using OAI-PMH (Open Archives
Initiative Protocol for Metadata
Harvesting)
Search results link users back to
Manitowoc original source

10. Why digitize?
• Connect to your
community
• Reach new audiences
• Improve access to
“invisible” materials
• Protect fragile or
heavily used materials
• Learn more about your
collections
• Contribute to our
collective knowledge
South Wood County Historical Museum
http://content.mpl.org/cdm/singleitem/co
llection/swch/id/1229/rec/232

11. What do you
mean, digitize?
• Select materials
• Reformat materials (scan
or photograph)
• Add metadata
(descriptive information)
• Provide access
• Store and maintain digital
files and data (digital
preservation)
WiscMonilswina Huiksetoer iPcaulb Sloicc iLeitbyrary
http://content.mpl.org/u?/mcml,1319

12. Before you even start…..
• Don’t scan a mess! Take the time to assess and organize
your originals.
• A digital project is an ideal time to evaluate collection
conditions and rehouse materials as needed.
• Resources for collections care and organization:
– Wisconsin Historical Society Field Services staff
– Wisconsin Archives Mentoring Service
http://www.uwosh.edu/archives/wams/
– National Park Service Conserve-O-Grams
http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogra
m/cons_toc.html

13. Who’s your audience?
• Local residents
• Former residents
• Students and teachers
• Genealogists
• Hobbyists (e.g. Civil War
re-enactors, railroad
buffs)
• Academic researchers
• Curious Wisconsinites
Milwaukee Public Library
http://content.mpl.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/
MilwWaterwa/id/462/rec/6

14. Selection - Setting Priorities
Ask yourself which materials are…
• most significant?
• most used?
• oldest?
• newest?
• at risk?
Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-36392

15. Considering copyright:
Can I put this online?
• Item is in the public
domain
– No longer under
copyright; you’re free to
use
• Item is in copyright
– Contact copyright holder
to request permission to
publish online
UW-Milwaukee Libraries
http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm/ref/coll
ection/gfmmke/id/483

16. Tools for determining copyright status
• Public Domain Sherpa: Public Domain Calculator
http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/calculator.html
• Copyright Advisory Network
– Copyright Slider:
http://librarycopyright.net/resources/digitalslider/
– Copyright Genie:
http://librarycopyright.net/resources/genie/

17. Metadata = information about stuff
Field Name Sample Data
Title DiVall barber shop, Middleton, 1925
Subjects Barbers; Barbershops
Type Still image
Format image/tiff
Rights statement This material may be protected by copyright law. The
user is responsible for all issues of copyright.
File name 2006_01_12.tif
Submitter Middleton Area Historical Society
Date digitized 2013-04-05
Middleton Area Historical Society

18. Metadata = information about stuff
Field Name Sample Data
Creator Bartle, F. C.
Date Created 1925-09-12 OR 1920-1930
Materials Photographs
Description Ralph DiVall (left) and Edwin T. Baltes (right) shave
two men seated in barber chairs. According to a
family history on file at the Society, DiVall operated
this barber shop from the 1920s until his retirement
on July 1, 1966.
Location Middleton, Dane County, Wisconsin
Collection DiVall Family Collection
Identifier 2006.01.12
Middleton Area Historical Society

19. Potential project costs
• Scanner
• Outsourcing imaging to a
commercial vendor
• Digital camera and related
equipment
• Internet access
• Software for providing online
access
• Storage for digital files
• Archival storage supplies
• Be sure to budget for TIME and
SPACE
Mount Horeb Public Library
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/SSRecIDSear
ch?repl1=WI&repl2=WI.hitch0187.bib

20. Finding funding
• Grants
– Historical societies: WI Council
for Local History mini-grants
– Public libraries: LSTA
Digitization of Local Resources
grants (Dep’t of Public
Instruction)
– Local corporations or
foundations
• In-kind contributions
– Tech support
– Equipment use
• Biggest expense is TIME
– Paid staff time
– “Free” volunteer time
– Students/interns
Ripon College

21. recollectionwisconsin.org/guidelines
– File naming
– Digital preservation
– Protecting your physical
collections
– Metadata
– Project promotion
– Video tutorials on photo
scanning and assigning titles to
historic photos
– Project planning
– Selecting materials
– Copyright
– Creating digital images
Woodville Community Library
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/S
SRecIDSearch?repl1=WI&repl2=WI.ind
h0078.bib

22. Ways to participate
Add up to 50 items to the
Recollection Wisconsin Shared
Collection
• Simple submission form at
recollectionwi.org/contribu
tion
• Free
• Uses Omeka software
Wisconsin Historical Society
http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm/
ref/collection/march/id/663

24. Ways to participate
Build a collection hosted by
Milwaukee Public Library
through Recollection Wisconsin
• $200 one-time setup fee
• Annual hosting fees starting
at $75 for 500 items
• Uses CONTENTdm software
McMillan Memorial Library
http://content.mpl.org/cdm/singleitem/c
ollection/mcml/id/178/rec/33

25. http://content.mpl.org/ashland

26. Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-19562
Ways to participate
Build a collection using a
compatible platform of your
choice.
• D.I.Y. database (the
Brodhead method)
• PastPerfect Online
• Omeka
• ResCarta
To be harvested by Recollection
Wisconsin: $100 one-time setup
fee; $50 annual hosting fee.

27. Thank You!
Emily Pfotenhauer
emily@wils.org
608-616-5796
recollectionwisconsin.org/
organizations
Mineral Point Historical Society
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/singleit
em/collection/mphs/id/3/rec/29