While many fan sites are dedicated to sports in the United States, there are few websites that provide direct access to primary source materials related to the history of sports in this country. The Brooklyn Historical Society has a unique collection of historic photographs, memorabilia and oral histories related to sports in Brooklyn. The aim of this project is to create a site that incorporates these archival materials. These include popular materials related to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson and Ebbets Field in addition to more obscure, local history items related to the history of basketball, track and netball in Brooklyn. Of particular interest is Mary Strobel’s manuscript collection, which documents her experience as the first African American women to join a US track team. Strobel went on to found the Trailblazers, a track team for African American women based in Queens, New York.
The Brooklyn Historical Society’s photo collection consists of approximately 35,000 images, which are available for use in the library. To date, only 1000 of these images have been digitized.1 This project would serve to provide the planning and financial support necessary to digitize some photographs of high interest and great import to Brooklyn sports history in addition to memorabilia including medals, banners and sports equipment. The site would also include six oral histories completed by BHS on the history of sports in Brooklyn. These oral histories include interviews with Mary Strobel and Brooklyn Dodgers player George “Shotgun” Shuba.
The Brooklyn Sports site would serve primarily as a resource for teachers and students who work with the Brooklyn Sports Curriculum Kit that the Brooklyn Historical Society will provide for schools beginning in the May 2009. This curriculum kit provides facsimiles of some primary source material. The site would provide these in their original form and expand to include archival materials related to, but not included in the curriculum kit. This digitization project will also help to promote the Brooklyn Historical Society with the hopes of increasing traffic to the museum and archives, which will increase funds available for future projects. Finally, the site will provide broader access to archival materials that students and scholars alike can utilize to study issues of women’s rights, civil rights, the professionalization of sports, and broader Brooklyn history.
Keara,
I think the theme of your project will reach a large audience. There is still a great deal of nostalgia concerning the BK Dodgers today and I think your website will appeal to people who have fond memories of the glory days of sports in BK. I appreciate that your digital archive will not just highlight star players, but that you also plan to make connections between sports and other histories such as women’s rights, civil rights, the professionalization of sports, etc… Designing your site for teachers and students will certainly ensure usage and fulfills the Museum’s educational mission. I can definitely see teachers using this site as a way to peak their students’ interest in social studies.
Some questions to think about for later:
You mention some of the popular materials that will draw viewers to your website. What “obscure” stories do you think will be most compelling? Also, will your site emphasize the sources and use minimal written text or will you supply viewers with a lot of historical information?
Which sources best expand the information you will give in the Curriculum Kit? Will your digital archive have any features that will be of interest for older people who may not want to use the Curriculum Kit? If so, what categories will you use to organize the artifacts or images for those website users?
The project sounds great and I know it will be exciting to a diverse group of people.
—Joanna
Keara,
A sports in Brooklyn Curriculum Kit looks like it will be a very effective teaching tool. The incorporation of written and visual material, as well as oral histories will appeal to a multitude of ages and learning styles. I especially like the inclusive nature of sharing the history of not only professional sports teams like the Dodgers but also more community-oriented histories of sports like netball. That sort of history can reach a broader audience through your site, and keep local traditions alive.
My question is more about long-term plans. Given the appeal to school groups of both the website and the BHS' proposed curriculum kit, what sort of interactive elements will you include? Will the website welcome user contributions? Perhaps you could include a section for student assignments and creative works based on the collections. This could expand your site to enhance students' technological skills and also call attention to their interpretations of local sports history. Are teacher networking tools (or more realistically links to established networking tools) appropriate for your site?
This baseball fanatic looks forward to your project!
-Liz