Wisconsin Library Services

WISCONSIN LIBRARY SERVICES, INC. (WILS) WILL SERVE AS A MENTOR ORGANIZATION FOR A COHORT OF 10 ACCELERATING PROMISING PRACTICES FOR SMALL LIBRARIES (APP) COMMUNITY MEMORY GRANTEES FROM SMALL AND/OR RURAL LIBRARIES, HELPING TO BUILD CAPACITY AMONG GRANTEES AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS BY DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND PROVIDING TRAINING, COACHING, AND OTHER SERVICES AND SUPPORT. WILS WILL LEVERAGE ITS INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE, UNDERSTANDING OF VARYING PRACTICE NEEDS, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS TO FACILITATE COHORT LEARNING AND SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL GRANTEES IN MEETING THE GOALS OF THEIR PROJECTS. THE PROJECT IS A COMPONENT OF THE APP INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT STRENGTHEN THE ABILITY OF SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES.

CURATING INDIGENOUS DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

"WISCONSIN LIBRARY SERVICES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON'S SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE'S SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES, WILL IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LIBRARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN DIGITAL STEWARDSHIP THROUGH SUMMER FIELDWORK POSITIONS. BY PLACING STUDENTS IN SMALL AND UNDER-RESOURCED MEMORY INSTITUTIONS ACROSS WISCONSIN, THE PROJECT WILL ALSO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF SMALL LIBRARIES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE ORGANIZATIONS TO CURATE THEIR DIGITAL COLLECTIONS. OVER TWO YEARS, 16 STUDENTS AND 10-16 HOST INSTITUTIONS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING AND MENTORING IN DIGITAL STEWARDSHIP AND WILL WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE, PRESERVE, AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO MATERIALS DIGITIZED FROM ANALOG FORMATS, AS WELL AS BORN-DIGITAL ITEMS."

FLATTENING THE CURVE: MITIGATING CULTURAL HERITAGE LOSS IN WISCONSIN NATIVE NATIONS [THIS PROGRAM WILL DEPLOY A FULL-TIME RAPID RESPONSE COMMUNITY ARCHIVIST (REFERRED TO AS THE COMMUNITY ARCHIVIST THROUGHOUT THIS NARRATIVE) TO ADVANCE HIGH-NEEDS DIGITAL PRESERVATION AND CURATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN TRIBAL LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, AND MUSEUMS. OVER TWO YEARS, THE COMMUNITY ARCHIVIST WILL WORK WITH AT LEAST SIX OF WISCONSIN?S TWELVE NATIVE NATIONS, PROVIDING CULTURALLY RELEVANT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND TARGETED PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE. THIS FLEXIBLE, RESPONSIVE SUPPORT MODEL WILL OFFER THE MOST IMPACTFUL OUTCOMES FOR NATIVE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE IT ACCOMMODATES UNPREDICTABLE LOCAL CHANGES IN CAPACITY WHILE MAINTAINING CONTINUITY AND LONGEVITY THROUGH THE CENTRALIZED STRUCTURES OF WILS AND THE COLLECTIVE. THE ONGOING WORK OF CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT IN NATIVE NATIONS IS CHALLENGING DUE TO HIGH STAFF TURNOVER, ANNUAL FUNDING FLUCTUATIONS, AND SHIFTING PRIORITIES IN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS; COVID-19 MADE THESE UNCERTAINTIES EVEN MORE ACUTE.]

LISTENING TO WAR: DIGITIZING WISCONSIN'S WARTIME ORAL HISTORIES

TO SUPPORT A PARTNERSHIP AMONG THE WISCONSIN LIBRARY SERVICES, THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND RECOLLECTION WISCONSIN TO SUPPORT DIGITAL READINESS IN SMALL AND UNDER-RESOURCED LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. THROUGH WORKSHOPS, DEMONSTRATIONS AT THE STATEWIDE DIGITAL HISTORY FAIR, CONSULTATIONS, AND OTHER RESOURCES, THE COLLABORATIVE PLANS TO CREATE A DIGITAL READINESS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE THAT PROVIDES THE KNOWLEDGE, TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO DIGITIZE, MANAGE, AND PROVIDE ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS TO ARCHIVES AND HISTORICAL RECORDS.

LISTENING TO WAR: UNCOVERING WISCONSIN'S WARTIME ORAL HISTORIES

TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS TO DESIGN AN ARCHIVES COLLABORATIVE TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF SMALL, RURAL, UNDER-RESOURCED, AND UNDERREPRESENTED REPOSITORIES TO CREATE, MANAGE, AND SHARE DIGITIZED HISTORICAL RESOURCES. COLLABORATING PARTNERS INCLUDE WISCONSIN LIBRARY SERVICES, THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND RECOLLECTION WISCONSIN, A STATEWIDE DIGITAL COLLECTIONS CONSORTIUM.