Title
From Vault To Page To Social Media – Bringing Local History To A Wider Audience
Presentation Type
Lightning Talk
Start Date
10-26-2022 11:00 AM
Abstract
For decades, the Monroe County Library has been providing Today In Keys History to the local newspaper, the Keys Citizen. That paper, like many legacy media publications, has faced severe challenges in maintaining subscribers, as well as increasing barriers in its publication and distribution.
Despite the limited access, the Today In Keys History column is extremely popular with the public. Many people share their thoughts about entries on social media, especially when the column has included daily diary excerpts from Key West residents in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Because the column is produced by the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida Keys History Department, we felt everyone should have access to it and are now posting it daily on the Library’s website (https://keyslibraries.org/category/florida-history/today-in-keys-history/), and promoting it via social media feeds. Each web post and social media post is accompanied by an image from the Library’s immensely successful online archive (https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries).
This session is intended to show how archivists can, potentially in concert with communications staff, bring their holdings to a wider audience via social media. The general public can be an important stakeholder in supporting archives, and media often rely on archives for research that provides historical context and background.
Streaming Media
From Vault To Page To Social Media – Bringing Local History To A Wider Audience
For decades, the Monroe County Library has been providing Today In Keys History to the local newspaper, the Keys Citizen. That paper, like many legacy media publications, has faced severe challenges in maintaining subscribers, as well as increasing barriers in its publication and distribution.
Despite the limited access, the Today In Keys History column is extremely popular with the public. Many people share their thoughts about entries on social media, especially when the column has included daily diary excerpts from Key West residents in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Because the column is produced by the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida Keys History Department, we felt everyone should have access to it and are now posting it daily on the Library’s website (https://keyslibraries.org/category/florida-history/today-in-keys-history/), and promoting it via social media feeds. Each web post and social media post is accompanied by an image from the Library’s immensely successful online archive (https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries).
This session is intended to show how archivists can, potentially in concert with communications staff, bring their holdings to a wider audience via social media. The general public can be an important stakeholder in supporting archives, and media often rely on archives for research that provides historical context and background.