Libraries and other organizations plan their online story projects using free OurStoryBridge tools

“OurStoryBridge: Connecting the Past and the Present,” released at www.ourstorybridge.org on Sept. 29, has received national interest beyond the original expectations of its creators. Based on this interest, OurStoryBridge organizers hope to help New York state libraries and other organizations use this model to create their own audio story projects in 2021.

Shown here: a screen shot from the “Adirondack Community” online story project: myadirondackstory.org

In all, 450 librarians from across the country recently attended sessions introducing OurStoryBridge. Jery Y. Huntley gave presentations to the annual meeting of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Tech-Talk (a national resource for librarians, library staff, and patrons to upgrade their technology and communication skills), and the Northern New York Library Network. Librarians across the state expressed interest in creating their own community story projects using the recently released materials.

“We want to hear from interested libraries and other organizations in New York state,” Huntley said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the reaction to the release of OurStoryBridge would be so overwhelming. Across the country, librarians have been thanking the Keene Valley Library for their work and are planning their story projects on our model.”

OurStoryBridge, a free resource and tool kit for producing a crowdsourced, community story project, is now available. Emphasizing audio history collecting and sharing, the website is designed to help libraries and other organizations create their own story projects using “Adirondack Community: Capturing, Retaining and Communicating the Stories of Who We Are” as a model. Huntley is the volunteer manager for both projects.

Over the past month, more than 260 people have viewed the new tool kit and 68 have downloaded the “OurStoryBridge User Guide,” which serves as an instructional reference as organizations consider launching OurStoryBridge projects for their communities.

Driven by the ongoing success of Adirondack Community (www.myadirondackstory.org), the audio story project launched by the Keene Valley Library, OurStoryBridge brings into focus all the moving parts needed to make community story projects successful. Additionally, one-on-one assistance to communities considering or starting an OurStoryBridge project using the website’s tools will be provided at no cost.

“I love this project and think of it as a balm and a community builder for our times, an amazing educational resource, carrying rich historical value,” said Janelle Schwartz, OurStoryBridge Project Editor.

“The story project keeps the history of our small town alive and accessible,” storyteller Henrietta Jordan said about Adirondack Community. “The older residents of the town have recorded eyewitness accounts of important events that happened 60, 70 years ago, and memories of the people who were born in the 1800s. The younger ones have memorialized more recent ones, knowing themselves to be links in the chain of generations that bind this community together.”

For more information on Adirondack Community and OurStoryBridge, email createyourstoryproject@gmail.com or call (410) 353-6372.