How Do Museums Support Community Groups in Preserving Cultural Heritage?

Members of Woodlawn Heritage Group, Co Galway

In the heart of Ireland, communities are coming together to safeguard their heritage, not just for today but for generations to come. At the forefront of this movement is the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN), an initiative that provides a platform for communities to document their shared histories, cultures, and identities through digital archiving. By fostering connections between local volunteers and national heritage bodies, ICAN is helping to preserve an often-overlooked treasure trove of knowledge: the memories, records, and stories that form the fabric of Irish life.

In a recent MuseumNext presentation titled Community Archiving: Where Do I Start?, Hassan Dabbagh, the network administrator for iCAN, highlighted the significance of community involvement in preserving local heritage. The presentation brought together voices from various community groups across Ireland, each sharing how their work has been transformed through iCAN’s support.

What Happens When Museums and Communities Team Up to Preserve the Past?

iCAN is an initiative led by the National Museum of Ireland in partnership with the Heritage Council, Ireland’s State Agency for Heritage. The project aims to provide volunteer-led community groups with the tools, training, and resources needed to digitize local sources and build digital archives. These archives are not just collections of the past; they are living, breathing records of communities in real-time.

iCAN’s mission is to empower communities to preserve their own stories, not just for the benefit of local residents but for Irish people worldwide. As Dabbagh explained in his presentation, “Archiving isn’t about the past. Archiving is about the future.” By creating digital archives, communities can ensure that future generations have access to these invaluable records of everyday life.

The heart of iCAN’s work is in its partnership with local groups, which include the Clarecastle and Ballyea Heritage and Wildlife Group, Louisburgh Killeen Heritage, and Oughterard Heritage. Each of these groups has created a digital space where their communities’ stories can be preserved and shared with the world.

Empowering Local Communities: The Role of Volunteers in Preserving Cultural Heritage?

Volunteers are the lifeblood of iCAN, and their dedication is evident in the work they’ve achieved. Take, for instance, the Louisburgh Killeen Heritage group, whose story was shared by Mary O’Malley during the presentation. O’Malley detailed how her community, like many others, was looking for ways to record and share its rich history. With no prior technical knowledge, O’Malley and her fellow volunteers signed up for iCAN’s training program, which provided them with the skills to create their own digital archive.

“We were able to launch our own heritage website where we can not only record and archive material, but anyone with any connection to Louisburgh Killeen, anywhere in the world, can contribute to our archive,” O’Malley explained. This level of inclusivity is a crucial aspect of iCAN’s vision, as it allows communities to extend beyond geographic boundaries and invite members of the diaspora to engage with their heritage.

One of the group’s most significant achievements has been the digitization of “An Coinneal,” the oldest parish magazine in Ireland. Launched in 1959 by Father Leo Morahan, the magazine documents the life and culture of the parish. Through the iCAN network, older versions of the magazine, which were previously unavailable, have now been scanned and made accessible online, preserving them for future generations. O’Malley emphasized the value of this work, noting that it was not just the stories of the community being preserved but also the old Irish words that have now been recirculated within the community.

Overcoming Technical Challenges

While the technical side of digital archiving may seem daunting, iCAN ensures that communities have the support they need to succeed. Eric Shaw from Clarecastle and Ballyea Heritage and Wildlife Group shared how his team initially struggled with a growing mound of records, unsure how to preserve them for the future. iCAN provided the answer.

In 2019, Shaw’s group was invited to join an iCAN pilot program, where they received training on how to create a community website and upload their archival materials. “To us, it was a joy, a gift from heaven,” Shaw recalled. With the training and resources provided by iCAN, the group began digitising their records, including church school records, graveyard records, and old photographs. These materials are now searchable online, offering both locals and visitors the opportunity to trace the history of their families and the places they lived.

Shaw also highlighted the support iCAN offers in dealing with more complex technical tasks. He explained how the group worked closely with iCAN to upload maps, spreadsheets, and other supplementary documents related to local property records, ensuring they were accessible and easy to navigate.

“I’m not a technical person,” Shaw admitted, “but I can learn how to do things. I can become an expert for a while.” His dedication to learning and iCAN’s commitment to ongoing support have resulted in a project that continues to grow, allowing the Clarecastle and Ballyea community to preserve its history for future generations.

Empower Local Groups to Document and Preserve Their Stories?

A key component of iCAN’s success is the way it fosters knowledge-sharing between communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative adapted by offering online training, which led to the creation of the iCAN Champions program. These “champions” are community members who take on leadership roles, sharing their skills and helping others navigate the technical aspects of archiving.

Antoinette Lydon from Oughterard Heritage spoke about how this program empowered her group. Oughterard’s project began with scanning old photographs and adding them to a website, but it soon expanded to include GPS-marked graveyards and scanned memorial cards, all made possible through iCAN’s guidance.

Lydon’s experience with the Champions program demonstrates how iCAN’s ethos of collaboration extends beyond staff and into the communities themselves. “The main ethos of the Champions is sharing knowledge and making it very, very simple,” Lydon explained. Through peer-to-peer learning, communities are encouraged to overcome any obstacles they face and find creative solutions to the challenges of archiving.

Looking Forward: Community Archiving for Future Generations

As Dabbagh concluded in his presentation, the work of iCAN is about more than preserving the past—it’s about safeguarding the future. “You can’t join the dots looking forward,” Dabbagh said, quoting Steve Jobs. “You have to look backward to join the dots, and you have to trust that those dots will join in your future.”

This belief is at the core of iCAN’s mission. By archiving the everyday lives of Irish communities, the network is ensuring that future generations will be able to understand where they came from, and, in turn, where they are headed. As communities continue to grow and evolve, iCAN is there, helping them preserve their stories in the digital age.

For more information about the Irish Community Archive Network and to explore the stories preserved through iCAN, visit www.ouririshheritage.org.