How to be an Advocate for Local Records Accessibility

One Shared Story works to discover hidden history contained in documents that are stewarded by local governments, community organizations (like churches), and in the care of individuals and families. We capture digital images of historic documents when allowed and share with the public when permission is granted. When we cannot obtain permission to make the documents publicly available, we create transcription projects to develop the data in a standardized/normalized format that can be shared as a new work product.
We will share an example of a local documents project centered on county property tax records from the Reconstruction South - specifically central Virginia. We will share where versions of the source documents were found, why they were created, and the unique information found in these records. We will also show you how a collaborative community developed a standard data template and volunteer transcription project that is ongoing.