iSchool Capstone

The Naturalist's Scrapbook

Project tags:

archives & special collections

content & digital asset management

social media

Project poster

The Naturalist’s Scrapbook is a digital crowdsourcing project that activates the relevance of archival materials while growing community investment in the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History collections. Featuring digitized excerpts of the scrapbook made by the Museum’s founding collector, naturalist and lighthouse keeper Laura Hecox, the project asks volunteers to transcribe details and identify keywords for each scrapbook clipping. This information is operationalized by museum staff to engage nontraditional volunteers, enhance mission-relevant outreach content, increase awareness of the Museum’s history, and develop new directions for further research into the local history of Santa Cruz natural history.

Project participants:

Kathleen Aston

MLIS