MEDIA, PA — A collaboration between Delaware County Community College, the Lower Merion Library System, and Pennsylvania Power Library is expanding public access to local historical records while providing students with hands-on experience in digital archiving, oral history collection, and document preservation.
The initiative centered on a Community Scanning Day at Ardmore Library, where residents brought photographs, maps, and historical documents to be digitized and preserved. Participants received digital copies of their materials and were given the option to contribute them to Pennsylvania Power Library’s public archives.
The project recruited student volunteers from Delaware County Community College, who were trained in document scanning, metadata creation, archival processing, and oral history interviewing techniques.
The effort was designed to preserve community and family histories while creating digital records that can be accessed by researchers and the public in the future.
Residents shared materials ranging from family photographs to historical maps documenting changes in local neighborhoods over time.
One collection included zoning maps that documented development patterns in Ardmore and changes within predominantly Black neighborhoods, according to student volunteer Katy Gallagher.
Another participant contributed photographs tracing her family’s immigration history from Ukraine.
Gallagher, a Paralegal Studies student, said the project influenced her future educational plans.
“This project opened my eyes to what truly interests me,” Gallagher said, adding that she now plans to pursue library science after transferring to a four-year institution.
Student volunteer Taya Vietro said the experience highlighted the importance of preserving historical records before they are lost.
“It is so easy to lose history,” Vietro said. “We want to make sure that the next generations can find the information, to understand the historical demographics of the communities in which they live.”
Vietro has also participated in other digital humanities initiatives, including an oral history project documenting the experiences of Black church leaders in the Philadelphia region during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paulina Jaus, a Communications major, said one of the most memorable interviews involved a resident whose mother lived to age 110 and whose family history is now being preserved through the archive.
“The daughter had so much historical information to offer,” Jaus said. “People will be able to use the added information to see how their communities evolved.”
Project organizers said the initiative demonstrates how community partnerships can expand historical preservation efforts while providing students with practical experience in research, interviewing, and archival work.
Many of the digitized materials collected during the event are expected to become publicly accessible through Pennsylvania Power Library’s online photos and documents database.
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