Our Methods
First and foremost it is a community led and supported project. Although we use the typical methods to identify rural dispersed communities – maps, census records, encyclopedia entries, etc., the project’s success is dependent upon community liaisons that introduce us into the community and serve as a central contact within the community for the project. The community liaisons are individuals with whom we have worked on previous projects, friends of friends, recommendations by colleagues, or simply the result of fortuitous meetings. Like many other public history projects, VfSP is a collaborative project that addresses the public’s needs (record their stories, research historic resources, digitize archival collections, etc.) while providing an opportunity to access primary sources, deepen our understanding of the rural community history, and examine the means by which communities retain their sense of place and identity although the physical and social landscapes have changed dramatically.
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PhotoVoice
PhotoVoice is a method that combines photography with journaling. In this project, volunteers are given cameras and asked to take pictures of places in their community that are important to them in their personal history and hold value for them.
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Oral HistoryOral history is the process of recording an interview with an individual or group to learn about local events and organizations, family and community traditions, and day-to-day lives in the past. Those interviews are then transcribed and placed in an archival repository.
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ArchivesMembers of the community loan materials to create a digital collection. Both documents and objects are digitized, helping to preserve the history of the community and make it available to the public.
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Historic Surveys
A historic resource survey is done to record all above ground structures such as houses, barns, sheds, etc. Each resource, regardless of age, is recorded photographically as well as by using a survey form.
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