Snapshot Stories at Juneteenth Celebration

We’re trying to increase representation of Black History in library digital collections and connect the community across generations as we celebrate Juneteenth this year. We are hapapy to host a “Snapshot Stories” photo scanning event at the 2021 Juneteenth Celebration at Laurel Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on June 19th. https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7912696

Snapshot Stories tells the world the unique story of Santa Cruz County’s local and regional history. People are encouraged bring historical photos from their family archives: the people, the coastline, neighborhoods, landmarks and other historical images. The photos will be scanned and returned along with a USB flash drive containing an electronic copy of the photo.

SCPL strives to offer inclusive collections that reflect the diversity of our community and history. The stories of historically marginalized communities are underrepresented in our digital local history collections. Adding your photos and experiences will create a more complete picture of Santa Cruz County’s diverse history. This ongoing project will continue after Juneteenth through scanning appointments made with library staff and submissions of digital photos. To make an appointment, contact us at elibrary@santacruzpl.org or 831-427-7713.

The digital images scanned during Snapshot Stories are added to the Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ Local History Photo Collection, an online database that is the most popular feature of the library website. It contains more than 1,500 images dating back to the 1860s. Images are accompanied by details such as the date, location, occasion, individuals pictured, who provided the photo and links to relevant articles in the library’s Local History section online. Our collections are used by historians and genealogists all over the world.

Juneteenth is a special day for anyone who believes in freedom and equality for all people. Brought to us by a partnership between Santa Cruz Juneteenth, Louden Nelson Community Center, and City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation, we hope to see you for amazing music, delicious soul food, craft booths, kids activities and a basketball skills contest.