Ipswich Libraries explored over 50 collection management systems, continually returning to Recollect as their preferred platform for their digital heritage collection: Picture Ipswich.
The Picture Ipswich collection has over 16,000 historical and contemporary images, oral histories, documents, and books with new content constantly being added. The system they were using was not compatible with the change in direction they wanted to make. They wanted to enrich the experience of the Ipswich community as they explored the city’s history, by improving accessibility and enhancing the visual layout of the collection.
Recollect was the chosen collection management and engagement platform for its ability to tell a story and enrich the experience of the Ipswich community by the engagement and advanced collection management features. Recollect offered Picture Ipswich a greater number of asset type options, customisable metadata templates, crowdsourcing, and an opportunity to explore new ways of combining digital storytelling and local history. One of the main standout features for Ipswich Libraries was the interactive map which opened up a new way to access assets and discover locations where history happened.
We were very fortunate to have Melanie Rush, Library Digital Archivist at Ipswich Libraries present at our latest Recollect webinar for libraries session. She discussed the reasons why Recollect was the preferred platform and how she developed Educational Resources for their community as part of their Recollect site.
To get a true appreciation for the Recollect features and the Picture Ipswich transformation, we’d suggest taking a moment to view the recorded webinar session found below.