MSU History Department and Minot Public Library welcome the public to Scan Day on March 5

The Minot State University Department of History and the Minot Public Library are partnering to offer a Scan Day on March 5 for the purpose of digitizing family history materials brought in by the public. The Minot Public Library (516 2nd Ave. SW) will host the session from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the public are invited to bring in a wide range of items, including photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, home movies and other artifacts related to family and community history.

Bethany Andreasen and Dan Ringrose, history professors, are currently training history students as digital ambassadors for Scan Day. These ambassadors will work with individuals to select items for digitization among their family history materials. The ambassadors will then digitize the items and record descriptive information and context. Contributors will receive a free digital copy of their items as well as advice on preservation and tips for handling damaged materials. Individuals who participate in Scan Day can expect to spend approximately 30 minutes working with project staff on their items. Family movies will not be digitized during Scan Day itself but can be loaned to project staff for digitizing.

With the owner’s permission, digitized materials will be made publicly available through the Digital Minot Project (http://www.minotstateu.edu/history). Sessions will be followed by electronic exhibits at the Digital Minot Project, as well as by a public presentation on community history in the fall.

“This is the perfect opportunity to dig out old letters and photographs that community members might not have looked at for years,” said Andreasen. “It’s always fascinating to see the treasures that people have stored away. Family members themselves have often forgotten the details of what they have.”

Andreasen noted that digitizing family history items not only preserves them as electronic images, but also makes it easy to share those images with multiple family members.

This program exemplifies the partnerships the Minot Public Library has established within the community. 

“I am happy the library can offer this excellent opportunity and collaborate with MSU as it has always been a goal for the library to preserve and share Minot’s heritage,” stated Janet Anderson, library director.

Scan Day is part of Minot’s Common Heritage project, which is funded under the Common Heritage grant program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of “The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square,” an agency-wide initiative that seeks to enhance the role of the humanities in civic life (http://www.neh.gov/commongood).

The photo shows an arial view of Minot in 1943.

For more information about Scan Day, visit Minot’s Common Heritage webpage at http://www.minotstateu.edu/history/commonheritage.shtml  or contact Andreasen at bethany.andreasen@minotstateu.edu or Ringrose at daniel.ringrose@minotstateu.edu.

 

 

About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.

Published: 02/18/16   


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