Participation Type
Poster
Presentation #1 Title
See You At The Fair! : The Impact of a Decade of West Virginia and Regional History Center Archival Community Outreach Exhibits at West Virginia Fairs and Festivals
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This poster session reviews the impact of a WVU Libraries’ West Virginia and Regional History Center curator’s portable archival outreach exhibits at six West Virginia fairs and festivals from 2007-2016. These exhibits have not only served to introduce thousands of West Virginians and out-of-state fair visitors to the Center’s open access digital collections, but also have (1) provided fair organizers with additional educational programming about (1) the history of their unique cultural heritage sites, (2) West Virginia cultural heritage, and (3) general West Virginia history. Exhibit topics were chosen based on a topic’s wide, popular appeal with a focus on state and community history anniversaries and individual cultural heritage site themes, and have included (1) the 150th anniversary of the state of West Virginia, (2) the history of Arthurdale, WV (Eleanor Roosevelt’s Little Village), (3) the history of Jackson’s Mill (the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson), (4) and the history of Fiestaware (America’s favorite dinnerware made in Newell, WV). An unexpected benefit of this community outreach has been the informal community and University partnerships formed which have resulted in student educational cultural heritage trips, conference presentations, and invitations to several West Virginia community groups to participate in WVU Mountaineer Week, an annual celebration of West Virginia heritage and culture.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Anna M. Schein is Associate Curator, West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Libraries, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
See You At The Fair! : The Impact of a Decade of West Virginia and Regional History Center Archival Community Outreach Exhibits at West Virginia Fairs and Festivals
This poster session reviews the impact of a WVU Libraries’ West Virginia and Regional History Center curator’s portable archival outreach exhibits at six West Virginia fairs and festivals from 2007-2016. These exhibits have not only served to introduce thousands of West Virginians and out-of-state fair visitors to the Center’s open access digital collections, but also have (1) provided fair organizers with additional educational programming about (1) the history of their unique cultural heritage sites, (2) West Virginia cultural heritage, and (3) general West Virginia history. Exhibit topics were chosen based on a topic’s wide, popular appeal with a focus on state and community history anniversaries and individual cultural heritage site themes, and have included (1) the 150th anniversary of the state of West Virginia, (2) the history of Arthurdale, WV (Eleanor Roosevelt’s Little Village), (3) the history of Jackson’s Mill (the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson), (4) and the history of Fiestaware (America’s favorite dinnerware made in Newell, WV). An unexpected benefit of this community outreach has been the informal community and University partnerships formed which have resulted in student educational cultural heritage trips, conference presentations, and invitations to several West Virginia community groups to participate in WVU Mountaineer Week, an annual celebration of West Virginia heritage and culture.
