Telford and Wrekin Libraries are seeking volunteer assistance for a new project, ‘Telford, Our New Town’ – creating a digital archive’. The Libraries have received £88,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project which aims to bring together selected items from the Telford Development Corporation Archive collection held at Shropshire Archives, and other important, unique resources about the development of Telford in the 1960s – 1980s.
The first part of the project will involve selecting and digitising photographs from the Archives and investigating their audio recordings; digitising part of the Telford Journal (1963 – 1984) and film clips from MACE (Media Archive for Central England) and searching out other resources that can also be added to the archive.
All the photographs will be catalogued and available via the Shropshire Archives online catalogue; the Telford Journal will be available on computers in Southwater One. A new portal linked to the libraries’ website will provide a gateway to resources and showcase the project.
Selected materials will be presented using interactive software on digital tables at the new Southwater library. It will allow people to share and learn collaboratively and introduce history in a fun and interesting way.
Towards the end of 2014 and into 2015 the project team will work with groups of older people in local communities and in the library to gather more photographs and memories to add to the digital archive.
There are opportunities for Local volunteers to help us with a variety of tasks including:
- Explore and help select relevant images, and recordings from Shropshire Archives
- Represent and promote the project at various community locations
- Help at activity sessions encouraging people to share memories and stories that can be transcribed and used on the digital table and website
- Be part of sessions engaging members of the public and visitors in the use of the digital table and resource archive
- Help people to scan photos/material to add to the archive
Further information, including a volunteer application form, can be found at http://www.telford.gov.uk/info/200064/community_history/1095/community_history_projects/5
Chairmans Report 2023-2024 non pag