Using collections
How to use the collections in an interesting way?
How to use the collections in an interesting way?Community archives’ collections are a source of endless inspiration. The portal can prove to be an invaluable tool for anyone researching local history or family roots.
Artists find inspiration for their creative work in community archives.
Writers and journalists can use the collections as a source for their texts.
Students and resemigrant woman from Argentina. Or perhaps a folk song sung by a member of a farmers’ wives’ association?
Share your story!
Did something in particular from the community collections catch your attention? Share it with others!Send a link to a photo, recording or a collection from a selected community archive to someone who might find it as fascinating as you do. Post the link with material from the portal on your social media or in a group of friends and acquaintances. Just remember that the use of the actual materials (such as an audio file or an image) is subject to copyright regulations.
How can collections come to life?
Community archives not only collect and describe materials but also animate local communities and invite everyone to join in the process of rediscovering history. We write about their activities on the Centre of Community Archives website in the „What's New in Community Archives [in Polish]” section, as well as in social media posts.Here, we offer suggestions on a plethora of diverse activities that can be undertaken using community collections! Just remember to always use the materials in concordance with copyright law.
Education and popularization of historyCommunity archives’ collections provide an excellent foundation for workshops, library lessons, lectures or meetings that explore local history and culture.
Cultural animationEngage your community by organizing themed walks, urban games or workshops that help uncover local stories using community collections.
Research and academic workCommunity collections offer materials for research on 19th and 20th-century social history, daily life, fashion, architecture, customs, traditions, music from various regions and many more.
Exhibitions and publicationsCollections can be presented in larger or smaller exhibitions, be it outdoors or in gallery settings. They can also be shared in the form of photo albums or as illustrations in books.
Art projectsArchival materials can inspire new artworks or even become art themselves. Just remember to respect the sources and the people depicted in them.
Inspiration for textsCommunity collections have already been discovered by journalists, writers and authors of popular science texts, screenplays and even novels.
Use community archive collections in concordance with copyright law
On subpages of all materials, you'll find information about how they can be used. Sometimes, you can freely use an audio recording in your podcast or a photo in a collage. In some cases, however, you may need to contact the community archive and obtain permission to use it.
There are many ways to make use of community collections. See how others have done it to date. Reportages, cultural activities or theatre performances are just a few examples you can explore in the materials of the Centre of Community Archives and invited guests.
Dive into the sourcesIn the ‘Dive Into the Sources’ section, we publish original texts that encourage you to take a closer look at specific collections. Sometimes it's a question about where does a floral bowl at your home come from, and other times it’s the smile brought on by a photo that takes you back in time.
Community archivists about themselves – interviewsOn the Centre of Community Archives website, we publish interviews with community archivists who share insights about their daily work, plans, challenges and the projects they are working on.
Handbook for community archivistsOur handbook is more than just a collection of texts supporting various aspects of daily work in a community archive. In the inspirational section, you’ll find five essays written by community archivists, sharing their experiences of combining archival collections with cultural animation, art and education. They describe how archival materials became a starting point for something relevant and meaningful to many people.
