NH LOCAL ARTIFACTS BOXES PROJECT
NH LOCAL ARTIFACTS BOXES PROJECT
Welcome to the NH Local History Artifact Box Collaborative Project
Hello Library Colleagues!
Thank you for becoming part of this effort to ensure that NH history is not just read, but handled, examined, and experienced by our students. I have not been this psyched about a project since before COVID. Together, we are building a living, circulating, student-centered model that allows communities to share themselves. Thank you for stepping forward to help. I’m very excited and will share info as it emerges.
With enthusiasm & appreciation,
Christine Heaton
NH high school librarians will curate artifact boxes with the help of their local historical societies that represent their community’s unique history. These boxes will circulate through Interlibrary Loan (ILL), allowing students across the state to explore what makes different regions unique through tactile, homegrown materials that complement what is available through the State Archives and other repositories.
Here are 2 important tasks for folks who want to get started right away:
Begin informal conversations with your local historical societies to gauge interest and potential collaboration.
Start brainstorming your list of artifacts that would best represent and explain the uniqueness of your community.
The Hollis Historical Society has been AMAZINGLY generous in supporting this endeavor!
I'm hearing the need for a "project schedule."
I am still in the "getting everyone on board" phase, so I'll have a clearer timeline (with approximate dates) once all of the materials are sent out. But in the meantime, here are the 5 steps to making this happen. I'm only on Step 2, myself. But we should all be aiming for boxes to be ready for use in the Fall.
My students are getting excited to see the map of participants expand, and they have a suggestion for artifacts to include: People of Importance. To clarify, they do not mean celebrities. They hope to see stories about anyone who did difficult and important things for their communities. I was happily surprised and proud that they made this suggestion.
Elizabeth Dubrulle of the New Hampshire Historical Society shared that the NHHS has been working on a response to the 306 updates. Later this spring, they are rolling out a free online resource bank of NH-specific sources for high school history and government classes. Their initiative will include dozens of curated primary sources, secondary informational texts, contextual background materials, graphic organizers, discussion prompts, project suggestions, and free PD for educators. However, the NHHS materials will look at NH through a statewide lens. Ms Dubrulle sounded enthusiastic that our locally-focused project will dovetail with their work. NHHS will provide state-level history and national context, and our artifact boxes will bridge this with local historical societies' experiential, community-based materials. NHHS has also expressed interest in helping promote our artifact box network through a webpage connected to their new initiative so educators statewide can see what communities are offering and how to participate. Big visibility win for our collaboration!
To help us reach more communities, NHHS recommended some names and organizations to contact, so that’s on my weekend to-do list.
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Hollis Brookline HS
Alvirne HS
Milford HS
Bedford HS
Laconia HS
Monadnock Regional HS
Newmarket Elementary
Newmarket JrSr HS
Souhegan HS
SAU35 - White Mountains
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy
Salem HS
Portsmouth HS
Hopkinton Middle-High
Farmington HS
Dover HS
Campbell HS
Timberlane HS
John Stark Regional HS
Mascenic HS
Linwood HS
Wilton-Lyndeborough HS
Participating/Supporting Organizations: Hollis Historical Society, NH Historical Society.