Showcasing Collections from a Community Museum

Abstract

Crowdsourcing cultural heritage materials presents opportunities and challenges for archives and museums. Successful engagement with collections through crowdsourcing initiatives requires mindful planning and careful selection of materials. This article presents the Anacostia Community Museum's experience with the Smithsonian TC and details the museum's efforts to gather and highlight additional data pertaining to its collection. After providing a brief history of the museum, the article describes the processes undertaken by the collections and curatorial staff for selecting projects, which were informed by exhibitions, reference services, and the museum's mission. Next, the workflow and challenges faced by the museum are discussed before turning to recommendations for improvement.