OurStoryBridge incorporates as national non-profit

KEENE | Story Projects that began with local recollection here have caught the attention of communities around the country. What began as an oral history project in Keene is now an incorporated non-profit organization. OurStoryBridge Inc. was recently given 501(c)(3) charitable status by the IRS. Their free toolkit for producing crowd-sourced oral history projects is made available online at no cost, reaching far beyond the Keene town line. A compilation of oral and visual history, OurStoryBridge produces three- to five-minute recordings that are cataloged on the web. Local history, current events and first-person memories appeal to young and old and can be illustrated with artwork, video or photographs. Carolyn Peterson, president of the Keene Valley Library Association Board of Directors, said they are thrilled to have nurtured OurStoryBridge. "We are even more excited that it has grown to a national organization with story projects across the country. Interest in OurStoryBridge has inspired over 6,200 unique users to visit Keene's (pop. 1,100) oral history project," she said. Jery Y. Huntley, MLS, founded OurStoryBridge and Adirondack Community, Keene's oral history project. She is president of OurStoryBridge Inc. Having an engaged, interested and intrepid library board to help build the project was key to the program's success. "The support of the Keene Valley Library has been essential. With over 500 OurStoryBridge User Guides downloaded, presentation participants from 46 states, six oral history projects released across the country, and more in the Adirondacks and from Vermont to Alaska expected just this year, we felt that the time was right to communicate from a national platform." The mission of OurStoryBridge Inc. is to be a resource for oral history projects, allowing groups to collect, preserve and circulate local audio stories through accessible online media. As a new non-profit, OurStoryBridge will promote, build, and assist with the deployment of these resources into communities across geographic, cultural, socioeconomic, racial, and organizational strata, Huntley said. "Our work will help strengthen these communities through sharing of their stories, including encouraging younger generations to become engaged community members." The non-profit just released the 2nd Edition of the OurStoryBridge User Guide, which offers updates inspired by questions and comments from the many who accessed the first edition. The user guide can be downloaded for free in the Tool Kit at www.ourstorybridge.org. One-on-one assistance is available as communities, libraries or historians start their story projects. Adirondack Community, the Keene based model for OurStoryBridge, a is available to explore online: www.myadirondackstory.org.

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