Abstract

Camp Kawanhee is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2020. How can creating an Esri Story Map using archival materials from the camp at its 100th Anniversary help individuals connect to their own time at camp, engage with the camp’s history, and offer present experiences? By utilizing the software Story Maps, I have created a platform that shares special moments in Camp Kawanhee’s history. Digitized items from my summer at Camp Kawanhee (brochures, pamphlets, letters, and photographs) are utilized in my story map to create a narrative of the past and present. By drawing upon literature on digital tourism and history, I created a plan that can be a guide for other situations, particularly small institutions that have rich archival collections. I have also examined the role summer camp plays in youth identity, and how memory and nostalgia interact with an individual's sense of self. Through this project I make collections available to alumni who cannot be physically present, thereby strengthening alumni ties during important anniversary events. This has become increasingly important with the COVID-19 crisis. With this digital project alumni and current campers will be able to reflect on past events and how they have shaped the present camp space.

Publication Date

4-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Undergraduate

Degree Name

Museum Studies (BS)

Advisor

Rebecca DeRoo

Advisor/Committee Member

Rebekah Walker

Advisor/Committee Member

Tina Lent

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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