Information gathering meetings

As you begin the initial steps to hosting a community archive, you will want to schedule a meeting with community members to discuss their interest in taking on this project. During the meeting, you can show sample projects to help explain the idea and vision behind your community archiving its history. Below are some recommendations for ideas or talking points to discuss during the meeting with community members.

Recommendations:

1. Discuss the current practices your community engages in to preserve your history.
   • Discuss what is working well
   • Discuss limitations of current practices
2. Discuss wants or goals that community members have regarding preserving their history
3. Introduce the concept of this project to community members
   • If possible, make connections between current preservation practices and community members’ wants/goals.
   • Show sample projects to community members. These can be found __
4. Discuss the importance of community members managing the record of the community’s story
5. Ask which community members are interested in participating, either in contributing material or volunteering for the event.