OurDigitalWorld’s Multicultural Community Capacity Grant project: Digital Storytelling for Ontario’s Multicultural Communities

We’re excited to announce the release of three virtual exhibits focusing on different aspects of Ontario’s multicultural history. These narrative exhibits are themed on black history, Japanese history, and women’s history in the province.

These virtual exhibits are available on a dedicated VITA digital toolkit platform:

http://vitacollections.ca/multiculturalontario/search

Thanks to a Multicultural Community Capacity Grant from the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, we are undertaking a series of projects bringing together materials from across Ontario to explore the histories of women and multicultural communities. With materials such as the Tweedsmuir history books from the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario, and the Agnes Macphail Digital Collection, we have assembled these three virtual exhibits from the digital collections of over 50 Ontario heritage institutions.

OurDigitalWorld is a non-profit that works with more than 200 organizations, from libraries and archives to historical societies and interest groups, to get archival materials online and accessible. Our flagship VITA digital toolkit won the 2017 Archival and Preservation Archievement Award from OLA. These exhibits were developed using materials shared by our VITA partners and organizations who have indexed their digital collections in OurOntario.ca, bringing together a variety of stories about individuals and communities that have shaped our province.

You’ll see artifacts, photos, news clippings, manuscripts, maps, and drawings from Rosseau Historical Society, Schreiber Public Library, Grey Roots Museum & Archives, Chatham-Kent Public Library, the Six Nations Public Library, Whitby Public Library, Clarington Public Library, Oakville Public Library, the Elgin County Archives, Sundridge – Strong Union Public Library, the Wilfrid Laurier University Library, the Niagara Historical Society & Museum, South River Machar Union Public Library, the Brock University James A. Gibson Library Special Collections & Archives, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library, the Trafalgar Township Historical Society, Barrie Public Library, and more.

We hope next to develop curriculum resources that allow Ontario teachers to bring these primary sources into their classrooms, and to coordinate community contributions of more multicultural stories. We are open to feedback and collaboration on this and related projects, so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

We are grateful for the support of the Government of Ontario.