‘Lest We Forget’: Oxford University needs you to spread the word!
Do you like Europeana 1914-1918? Have you already been involved in a collection day, taken part in a transcribathon, or are you interested in discovering digitized resources about World War One? Then you might also want to support this initiative!
On 5 June, Oxford University is launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund ‘Lest We Forget’, a new community-based initiative to preserve materials held by the public dating from the First World War. The goal is to save pictures, letters, photographs and memories through community-based collection days across the country, to ensure that as much material as possible is digitally preserved for posterity.
The ‘Lest We Forget’ initiative seeks to actively engage communities nationwide in the digital preservation of wartime material. Local schools, care homes and community groups will be invited to dedicated training events to learn how to lead collection days at which members of the public can share family collections. Every item collected will be published in 2018 on a free-to-use online database to promote an understanding of the Great War, and secure the stories of those who lived through it. These items will also live on Europeana 1914-1918, which will be our main collection platform.
The project aims to raise £80,000 to fund the training days for local volunteers, as well as outreach activities and equipment. Every donation is another step closer to ensuring that the sacrifices of this war are not forgotten.
You can now help Oxford University spread the word! Post their message on social media (https://www.facebook.com/OxfordLWF/ and @ww1centenary) and share their posts with your colleagues, friends and family. You can also join their Thunderclap campaign before 5 June for the message to go out on the 6th.
Get involved! Please spread the word about the new #WW1collectionday project and, for more information, visit: fb.com/OxfordLWF
