PLAN - WHAT DID YOU SET OUT TO DO? | |
| Summary/ Description of Activity | |
| Vara municipality as all local areas is full of history – its own and pieces related to the national history. Seniors have a lot to tell about local conditions, events and roots. At the same time people visiting or having just moved in have an interest in listening. Also children in school need to learn about what has happened during the centuries in their own neighbourhood. The web is the place to meet when some people have things to tell and others want to learn but the chances to meet in reality are limited. Volunteers have been recruited by careful choice according to known or believed interest in local history, ability to read and write and having the basic skills in computing. A website has been created to host the writers texts, www.varaessungabygden.se. The website is also linked to the local tourist site, vastgotalandet.vastsverige.com. | |
| Learning objectives: | |
| The users will enhance knowledge in how to handle computers, to write, save, copy and paste, download texts and use email. They will learn local history from each other and learn about writing for an audience. | |
| DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY | |
| Date [dd/mm/yyyy] | Ongoing since spring 2008. |
| Length of activity | Writing is on writers’ premises, meetings are about 2 hours |
| Frequency | Approximately 4 coordinating meetings a year. |
| Organiser | Vara Folkbibliotek |
| Tutor | Internal. Staff members in charge of local collection. |
| Group Size | 4-10 |
| Venue | Meetings are held in the central library or in places of interest. In between meetings writers work from home and by using ICT. |
| Location | Vara SE |
| Environment | Rural |
| Location Factors | Volunteers are not paid at all. Travel expenses are also paid by volunteers which may in time be a problem for new recruitments. |
| Partnerships | Vastgötalandet – the local tourist company |
| Target group | Seniors with a local history interest/knowledge, members or local action groups |
| Contact | Gunlog.thorstensson@vara.se conny@vastgotalandet.se |
| Marketing | Handpicking based on local knowledge. |
| Method of delivery | Coordinating meetings containing tips of various kinds; technical support, style and language, historical facts |
| Equipment required | Every volunteer needs access to a computer. If someone’s devices break down, they can sit in the libraries to work. Memory sticks. |
| Other Factors | The group may shrink if we don’t manage to maintain interest. Diverse views on what to publish and what language is acceptable. New ways of publishing in the future may make it even easier for writers.You must have cleared legal issues like copyright BEFORE you start. |
| Tasks | (Task2) Involving seniors as volunteers |
EVALUATION OF ACTIVITY| Evaluation of the Learning Objectives |
| So far the knowledge in handling the computer has grown immensely. Everyone knows how to write, save, copy, paste and upload to the website. They are all in an emailing list that is used for summing to meetings and sharing ideas. Next step is to address language and style in writing. |
| Evaluation of the activity |
| Problems occur when there is a need to make volunteers accept common goals that aren’t necessarily their private goals; guidelines that they don’t fully sympathise with. Language is very sensitive and private and very difficult to criticise. A lot of this understanding of the starting points of the activity needs to be done before it starts in order to avoid later confusion. Losses need to be accepted. |
| Evaluation of what was learned by the participants |
| Apart from issues concerning computing the participants have also learned about tourism in the area and had information about other projects concerning related topics in local history, tourism and library issues. |
| Evaluation of what staff have learned |
| To be thorough with explaining the goals of the activity to which they have been invited, to make sure everyone knows the division of labour and responsibilities between participants and representatives of the library and the tourist office. To elaborate links to other projects that may go on to enrich the volunteers’ perception of their own contribution. It seems to be inevitable also to form a municipality policy in how to treat volunteers in order to avoid “second league” volunteers in poorer departments. Treats are important to keep up interest! |
| Keywords |
| Local History ; Web ; Volunteers ; computers ; Sweden ; Local History on the Web |
| ANALYSIS OF EVALUATION |
| What would you change to improve activity? |
| What particular circumstance could affect a change in the activity? |
| Other possible Activities |
| Best practice |
| Transferability: |