Katie wrote that
a volunteer is
helping organize the annual auction and one of the additional
programs she wants to undertake is called Time in a
Bottle. They would give this package to $1000 donors, who would
get five hours with an interviewer to record their family history.
The transcripts and tapes
would be kept in the museum archives (the family would also receive a
copy).
I am
concerned that the public may be left with the impression that one can buy one's
way into the museum collection and I think it would be prudent to reconsider
that approach.
Nikkie had a
suggestion similar to something that I proposed to another (genealogy-based)
group and perhaps it might work for the Time in a Bottle (or Book). I have twice
now used the online print-on-demand service at:
to create memory/family-history
books for a couple of my relatives. I scanned the images and uploaded them
to MyPublisher, then selected layouts and added simple text. The books are
hardcover and are printed on acid-free pages. The basic/minimum cost
for a 10-page book is $29.95, but extra pages (up to a total of 50) can be
added. Additional copies are available at reduced cost and add-ons include
leather binding cases for $10.
The books arrived
within a couple of days of my having submitted everything -- and I was able to
create it all from home. The recipients both cried when they got the books, by
the way, and they became their coffee-table books. I ordered extra copies
for each of the children of the recipients and it is here that I thought that
this might particularly benefit the history museum as well.
I suggested to
the other group that a fundraiser might utilize this online service, by having a
volunteer offer to sit down with the donor, scan and upload the photos, talk
with the donor about family history and use that to add the text, etc. ...
to essentially do all the computer work for them. The organization could get an
additional copy to add to their archives if the family history is pertinent to
their mission and collections, but the amount of text that can be included in
the books is minimal. The advantage to the organization might just be the
interviews, if they are of interest to the organization too. In any
event, the emphasis should be not on permanently adding to the museum's
collection, but, rather, on assisting the family in the creation of a family
heirloom to add to *their* collection.
Lynne
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