The Keene Valley Library Association has announced it has received three grants to implement “Adirondack Community: Capturing, Retaining, and Communicating the Stories of Who We Are.”

This multi-year local history project collects and organizes audio stories and related photographs from Town of Keene community members through an online platform to share the social and cultural history of the community.

These grants include: a Humanities New York Action Grant, following the successful deployment of a 2018 Vision Grant for project planning; the Northern New York Library Network (NNYLN) Innovation Grant; and an award from the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation. Project support also includes community gifts and in-kind donations.

Adirondack Community has invited Keene residents and visitors to record 3-5 minute stories and share related images that document their experiences in Keene, a town of 1,080 people location in the High Peaks Region. These individual reflections will be available through an online platform to offer a deeper understanding of local history.

They will also complement the Keene Valley Library Archives, which collects documents, photos, and manuscripts. These stories will expand the collection and strengthen the library’s commitment to linking the historic Adirondacks with the Adirondacks of the future.

In summer 2018, 37 volunteers participated in the planning process through focus groups, demonstrating community support. The library has begun detailed planning for spring 2019 project implementation in partnership with the Keene Public Library.

The digital archive will include stories about arts and culture, work, outdoor recreation, community events and institutions, catastrophes, people, daily life, and natural history related to or occurring within the Town of Keene. Contact project organizers at myadirondackstory@gmail.com to participate.

For more information on the Keene Valley Library Association, visit their website.

Photo of the Keene Valley Library provided.