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California State Library awards 6 CA libraries digital storytelling grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2007

CONTACT:
Sarah Dalton
California State Library
916/654-1483

California State Library awards 6 CA libraries digital storytelling grants

SACRAMENTO - The California State Library has awarded California of the Past digital storytellinggrantsto six California public libraries. As successful applicants of the 2007/2008 competitive grant process, each library will receive a digital storytelling station, onsite digital station training, and a small grant to support the promotion and operation of a digital storytelling station. The grants are funded by the Library and Services Technology Act which the California State Library (CSL) adminsters in California.

California of the Past is a pilot program that exemplifies a national library shift to offering library customers experiential information services. Through the digitized first person narratives of the California of the Past program, libraries will now make available not just documents from the community, but the living memories of community members. The libraries will encourage members of the community to visit the library to record, for example, stories of what main street used to be like, or memories of raising their children in the community, or childhood stories their parents told of life in the area.

During the pilot California of the Past year, the libraries will contribute the digitial stories recorded by community members to a central California of the Past website. The libraries will also partner with at least two community organizations such as local historical groups or ethnic community groups to implement and operate the project.

The California of the Past pilot program seeks to replicate the successful digital storytelling program established at the San Diego Public Library in partnership with the Media Arts Center San Diego through a previous LSTA grant.

State Librarian of California Susan Hildreth says of California of the Past, "We are very excited about this great library program that uses cutting-edge information technology to explore, and preserve, California's untold history. We look forward to seeing the results of the pilot program, and we'll consider expanding the inititiative in 2008/2009."

The six 2007/2008 California of the Past grant recipients (and their community partners) are:

  1. Benicia Public Library (partnering with the Benicia Historical Society and the Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barns)
  2. Covina Public Library (partnering with the Covina Valley Historical Society and the Covina Chamber of Commerce)
  3. Hayward Public Library (partnering with the Hayward Area Historical Society and Hayward Rotary Club)
  4. Orange County Public Library (partnering with the Laguna Woods Historical Society and the Community Civic Association of Laguna Woods Village)
  5. Sacramento Public Library (partnering with the Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, Capital Unity Council, Hispanic Hall of Fame, JAAC-CSUS, Sacramento County Histoical Society, Tuskegee Airmen George Roberts - Sacramento Chapter, Unsung Heroes Living History Project, and others)
  6. South San Francisco Public Library (partnering with the Historical Society of South San Francisco and the South San Francisco Women's Club)

For more information about the California of the Past pilot program please contact Library Programs Consultant Kathy Low at (916) 653-6822 or email at klow@library.ca.gov.