I am available for contract work organizing and digitizing family and small organizational archives. Samples of my past projects are below. Contact me at heatherscole @ rocketmail.com to discuss your archival needs and how I might help.
O’Connor Family Archive
This is a collection of photographs, letters and genealogical records documenting six generations of a family with roots in Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, Chicago and Michigan. I digitized and curated this collection in 2022. (Note: most of the family archive is password protected.)
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory/AUI Archives
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and its parent organization, AUI, operate cutting-edge radio astronomy observatories in West Virginia (Green Bank Observatory), New Mexico (the VLA), Chile (ALMA) and across the world. In my role as archivist from 2018-2023, I collected, preserved and made accessible the papers, photos, films and oral history interviews that tell the history of those observatories and the astronomers who have made discoveries about the beginnings of our universe.
Staunton Stories
In 2016, I put together a team to run a community-wide event to collect photos and mini-oral histories from local residents. This one-day community archiving event and the exhibit that followed were held in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Staunton (VA) Downtown Business Association.
Industrial History of Norwood
Norwood, MA is a mid-sized town south of Boston that was booming industrial center from the mid-19th century through World War II. In 2004, I received a grant to research and write a guide to the industrial history of Norwood, highlighting primary sources from the archives of the Norwood Historical Society.
Digitization in the Real World (Metropolitan New York Library Council: 2010)
This book features 34 cases of digital collection building in libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions throughout North America. I co-authored (with Joanne Riley) the chapter “The Mass. Memories Road Show: A State-Wide Scanning Project.” Available on Amazon.com.
The Mass. Memories Road Show
Anyone looking to do participatory archiving should look to the Mass. Memories Road Show at UMass Boston as a model. I managed this amazing project for five years (2007-2012) and developed the original handbook and training. Since I left, the current staff has written training material that is applicable to anyone looking to do a similar project in their own community.
Heather S. Cole 