Tag Archives: heritage

Reclaiming History Through Photographs

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By Krista McCracken Historical photographs can be used to serve a variety of research, personal, and community interests.  Images can be used for genealogy, legal testimony, supplementing written historical accounts, and providing windows into the past. Photographs can also be used as important tools in healing, reconciliation, and in the reclamation of lost history.The use of photographs in the reclamation… Read more »

Engaging Corporate Heritage: Struggling to Cultivate Institutional Memory

Almost everyone has at least one memory of working with a ‘lifer’ or ‘old-timer.’  In some cases these employees have been at the organization since its inception, in other cases they have worked there for their entire career or as long as anyone can remember. The phrase “can remember” is often at the heart of discussions about institutional memory. The… Read more »

Active History on the Grand: Heritage Trees in Ontario

I think that I shall never see, A poem as lovely as a tree. – Sergeant Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) While many of us may be familiar with the designation of built heritage properties under the Ontario Heritage Act, recently municipalities have been using the Ontario Heritage Act to designate individual trees as heritage trees.  Municipalities like Burlington, Pelham, Thorold, Cambridge,… Read more »

Tangible History: Artifacts as Gateways to the Past

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When someone talks about undertaking serious historical research what comes to mind? Perhaps you conjure up an image of a dusty archives room and leaning towers of paper.  Census data, photographs, journals, correspondence, business records, and many other traditional archival materials may come to mind as potential sources. Did the phrase historical research make you think of artifacts? No? Not… Read more »

Announcement: History on the Grand – People and Place

Join us for a day of history and heritage in beautiful downtown Cambridge on Saturday 22 October 2011 for the local history symposium History on the Grand: People and Place.

Stepping into the Past: Everyday Places that Awaken the Historical Imagination

As summer days begin to wane, we explore some of the everyday places that challenge us to think more deeply about the past. Got a place to add? Send us a message and we will add it to this post!

Renaming Schools: What Does Sanitizing History Teach Students?

Removing the name of Halifax’s founder, Edward Cornwallis, from the masthead of a South End junior high school is perhaps the most recent and blatant example of the old controversy over renaming schools.

Avoiding Chaos: Conference and Workshop Planning

Acting as the host institution for a conference or workshops can be both a blessing and a curse.  Host organizations often experience increased interaction with participants and gain publicity in their local community.  Hosting a conference or workshop takes considerable effort and planning and can place strain on regular staff and use up time and monetary resources. Despite planning hurdles,… Read more »

Active History on the Grand: Chiefswood, a Bridge Between Two Worlds

August is laughing across the sky, Laughing while paddle, canoe and I, Drift, drift, Where the hills uplift On either side of the current swift. – “The Song my Paddle Sings,” E. Pauline Johnson From Brantford’s downtown the Grand River meanders lazily, coming back on itself through a large ox-box, before reaching the tiny community of Newport.  Just past Newport… Read more »

Open Source Tools For Heritage Organizations

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Heritage organizations are continuously working to establish a digital presence and integrate digital tools into their collection management practices. Open source software can be a huge benefit for an organization with a limited technology budget.