Global archive Historypin and Reading Museum invite every Reading resident to share a piece of their history
Historypin, a non-for-profit project supported by Google, and Reading Museum, are inviting the people of Reading to create a remarkable archive of the town’s history. Through the project, Reading will become the first place in the world to create a full communal record on Historypin.
“Reading has such a rich, exciting history that many people don’t yet know about. Over the next few months, 1000s of people from across the town will be adding photos, stories and recollections to the archive and all of this will be brought to life at an exhibition at Reading Museum from September to January and on Historypin.com,” Nick Stanhope, Historypin Executive Director, explains.
On 3rd September, a special Pinning Reading’s History exhibition will be launched at Reading Museum, opening up the communal archive for people to enjoy and contribute to. On the same date, a special section of Historypin.com will launch to allow users to explore all the content that has been added – www.historypin.com/reading. Content can also be added and explored on the Historypin app, available on Android and iPhone for free.
From September to January, a range of activities will be going on across Reading to help more and more people participate. Events are being held with local partners, including Reading Girls School, Jelly and Battle Library. A full schedule of local events to get involved in can be found at historypin.com/Reading.
“Everyone has a history to share, some of it stretching back over decades, passed down and added to over many generations. We have seen again and again what can be achieved when people come together around their family histories and the history of their street and we want to use the Pinning Reading’s History project to show the world what can be achieved when a whole town participates in creating a shared communal history,” says Nick Stanhope.
If you want to get more involved visit www.historypin.com/Reading or contact the Historypin Reading Project Officer, Amanda Holland on amanda.holland@wearewhatwedo.org.
About
Historypin has been created by We Are What We Do, a non-profit company based in London that works to impact social issues by creating products, tools and services that can positively shift mass behavior. Google is We Are What We Do’s main technology partner on the project, supporting Historypin’s use of Google tools, including Google Maps, Picasa, Google App Engine and Android.
Historypin sets out to bring people together around the history of their families and streets, from across different generations and cultures, to explore and create a global communal archive, building up an illuminating picture of the past. The main hub of the project is Historypin.com, which allows users to upload photos, videos, audio recordings, recollections and stories and pin them to a particular date and time on the Historypin map of the world. Street level images can be also be overlaid onto Google Maps Street View on the Historypin site for a fascinating and nostalgic then-and-now juxtaposition. Over 50,000 photos, videos, audio and stories from over 20,000 users from all over the world have already been shared.
Additionally, through the free Historypin Smartphone app, users can become immersed in the history of their current location, submit a photo, or view collections on the go.
The global launch of Historypin was held at the Museum of the City of New York in July 2011. Guest speakers included Martin Luther King III who shared a photograph of his father and grandfather and the story behind it.
Historypin received the 2011 Webby Award for Best Non-profit/Charitable Site for its innovative social use of technology.
Pinning Reading’s History is being run in partnership with Reading Museum. Reading Museum is well known for its landmark building in the centre of Reading and is part of Reading Borough Council’s cultural services. Reading Museum has been providing award-winning opportunities for learning, inspiration and enjoyment since 1883. The Museum is packed with amazing objects both local and global, from red kites to Rodin sculpture. Visitors can learn about Reading’s fascinating 1000 years of history from Saxon beginnings to today’s hi-tech town or enjoy our regular programme of changing art and cultural exhibitions in the magnificent John Madejski Art Gallery. The Museum’s nationally respected loan service lends 1,500 inspirational collections to schools, hospitals and care homes across Berkshire. This innovative work was long listed for the Art Fund Prize 2009 for museums and galleries.
Pinning Reading’s History is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) uses money raised through the National Lottery to give grants to sustain and transform our heritage. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions they invest in every part of our diverse heritage. The Heritage Lottery Fund sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage though innovative investment in projects with a lasting impact on people and places.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an international charitable foundation with cultural, education, social and scientific interests, based in Lisbon with offices in London and Paris. The IntergenerationAll programme is the latest development of the Foundation’s initiative on ageing and social cohesion. The objective of IntergenerationAll is to create a user-based assessment of the value of a range of intergenerational schemes, while creating a clearer picture of which types of initiatives lead to sustainable, engaging, cross-generational relationships that will strengthen communities and foster social cohesion. www.gulbenkian.org.uk
For more information, visit historypin.com, particularly the section on Reading www.historypin.com/Reading or join the conversation on Twitter (@historypin) or Facebook (facebook/historypin).
For more information, quotes or high res images please contact:
Rebekkah Abraham
rebekkah.abraham@wearewhatwedo.org
71 St John Street
London
EC1M 4NJ
020 7148 7670