The Manitowoc County Historical Society has created kits for novice archivists to use to share the stories of the Manitowoc County community. Called “Archivist in a Backpack”, the kits contain recording equipment and oral history how-to guides.
The new “Archivist in a Backpack” project equips community partners with tools to start material and oral history archives. Much of a museum’s understanding of the past is based on archives, and who assembles those records, and decides what’s worthy of protection. The new project at the Manitowoc County Historical Society is making archive creation more accessible by offering resources that can easily launch community partners on memory projects. The Archivist in a Backpack supplies compact kits with basic tools for oral history and material archives. While it has the expected audio recorder and tripod, it further assists DIY historians through interview question cards and a training guide, as well as thank you cards to send participants.
Archivist in a Backpack kits can be reserved by contacting the Manitowoc County Historical Society at (920) 684-4445 or emailing Archives@ManitowocCountyHistory.org. Kits are available in 2 week, 4 week, or 6 week timeslots. Once completed, the oral history will be returned to the Manitowoc County Historical Society and made available on a server. A copy will also be stored, and transcribed, for the Historical Society archives.
The new project aims to promote community-driven archiving efforts. “Archivist in a Backpack,” is funded in part by the City of Manitowoc as a celebration of the city’s 150th Anniversary. The “Archivist in a Backpack” program is modeled after a project of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Southern Historical Collection, funded through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The “Archivist in a Backpack” program’s main goal is to empower citizens to tell the stories of their lives in their own community and show them that being a local historian is well within reach and that the rewards can be tremendous. Simply making good records of what is gathered, and keeping everything in a cool, dry place, will go a long way toward preserving stories for future generations.
