Fogler Library invites contributions to ‘Then and Now’ online exhibit
Maine Contemporary Archives (MCA), which Fogler Library participates in, invites individuals, community groups and organizations to contribute to “Then and Now,” a collaborative online exhibit. This exhibit will showcase Maine communities and collections by pairing historical items with related contemporary items.
To contribute, submit a “Then and Now” pair of items, one historical and one contemporary. The historical item could be from two years, 20 years or 200 years ago. Use this form to provide descriptive information about each item and to upload any associated files (text, image, audio and/or video). You can also email files to mca.collaborative@gmail.com.
Some ideas:
- Pair a historical view of a neighborhood or natural landscape with a contemporary view of the same scene. Consider using photographs, postcards or artwork.
- Record a brief interview with a family member, friend or neighbor. Ask about one aspect of their life in the past. Then, ask about the present.
- Digitize a letter, journal entry, or scrapbook page. Pair this with a contemporary email, social media post or web page.
- Collect past and present ephemera from local businesses like menus, advertisements or event programs.
- Feel free to mix and match item types. For example, you could pair a photograph taken 50 years ago with a soundscape recorded in the same place today.
Need access to an audio recorder or digitization tools? MCA is piloting a program to lend technology kits to Maine libraries and community organizations. Visit our tech kits page to request a kit.
Contributors agree to share items under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.