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Leveraging social media can be an effective and engaging way to interact with your patrons while also reaching new audiences. By being active on platforms these platforms you can get the word out about new collection initiatives and share new or newly digitized acquisitions. Creating hashtags can serve to track user engagement and encourage them to participate in new initiatives. The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) started #UpliftingSTL to share inspiring stories from St. Louis history and encouraged users to use the hashtag to share their photos of their lives during the pandemic.
Collaboration with other local organizations offers many creative opportunities. Organizations can bring their unique perspectives and talents to the forefront to create something that will introduce new audiences to all of the organizations involved.
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC), hosted by the University of Chicago, consists of libraries, universities, museums, community and arts organizations, and other archival institutions. The BMRC seeks to connect those who seek to preserve and document Black experiences.
Early on in the pandemic, MHS partnered with the Metro Theatre Company to document how the St. Louis area was coping with the pandemic. Inspired by the stories shared with these companies, they created a 10-minute long play that follows a fictional family navigating the experiences shared by many in the area.
When asking for contributions from the public it is vital that it is easy to find the information on what to submit and how to go about it. Promotion for these initiatives can be through social media campaigns, word of mouth, or press releases.
Some examples of collections include:
A Journal of the Plague Year: This campaign was initiated by Arizona State University's School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies and hosted on its own website. The landing page for this site is a submission form that prompts users to share their stories with a brief introduction to explain what they are looking for and a link to the Spanish version of the site. Users can also browse stories, view a map, or learn more about the program.
Stories of the Pandemic: A St. Louis COVID-19 Digital Archive: This campaign is hosted by MHS and is located within the Society's main website. Here users are greeted with an explanation that MHS is currently looking for stories to share in a digital archive that may be moved to a permanent collection. Users are urged to share their stories and are given examples of what they could share. They are also encouraged to hold onto photographs, videos, documents, and other objects for future collection efforts before being presented a link to a submission form.
Protest in the Archives: This living document is overseen by the BMRC and acts more as a resource guide meant to increase awareness on the importance of documenting protests, the ethics involved in such work, and Chicago area collections that have collections regarding protests for racial justice in the United States. Those who wish to contribute are encouraged to email additional resources and links.