Historians in Door County are now afforded the option to make sure their stories don’t go away long after they do. Recently, Recollection Wisconsin performed a portion of their case study analyzing digital heritage projects at the Door County Historical Museum and Door County Library recently. This entire case study observes digital heritage projects around the state. The project observed at the Door County Historical Museum was their Door County Speaks program which was reintroduced in early May. The project was initially introduced in March but had to be put on hold when the pandemic began. 

The initiative is for individuals or local heritage organizations to start oral history or storytelling projects. Two years ago the museum was afforded a grant to help acquire the audio equipment, and Museum and Archives Manager Steven Rice is happy that this will help area residents revive memories. 

Rice adds that they have received a lot of enthusiasm from the historical community. Recollection Wisconsin also observed the digital newspaper archives program at the Door County Library. Adult Services Librarian Laura Kayacan was able to show off the strides they’ve made since 2010. While the library has gained plenty of archives, Kayacan wants to hear many area stories she hasn’t yet heard.

The library will be using the near future to make sure files are cleanly stored.