The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is inviting patrons to share their personal stories as part of its “Our Cincinnati” project, which is a digital celebration of Hamilton County’s neighborhoods.
Patrons can scan their paper-based memorabilia — photos, letters, maps — at one of eight library locations from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoons, now through March.
“What we ultimately wanted out of the project was a collection that was built by the community,” says Chad Lewis, sorting and materials retrieval manager for the PLCHC.
The library is also encouraging patrons to educate themselves on how to preserve photos, documents, mementos and memorabilia. Representatives from the University of Cincinnati's Preservation Lab will be visiting the library locations to help with this portion of the project.
The next phase of “Our Cincinnati” includes oral and video recordings, and a third phase will include a printed book as well as a digital archive.
“The role of our library is changing in a lot of ways,” says Kelly Hartmann, library branch manager at the Mt. Healthy location. “It used to be that the traditional library service was one way —
checking out items to patrons. Now, we have customers creating the content that will become part of the library, and the library will make that content available to the community. It’s a community curated collection.”
Do Good:
• Gather your photos, momentos and memorabilia that tell the story of your neighborhood.
• See a
list of dates and library locations, and plan a visit to scan your memorabilia for "Our Cincinnati."
• For more information about "Our Cincinnati," call 513-369-6900 or visit
cincinnatilibrary.org.
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