preserve the history of your community organization
Community History Seminar 2026
The 2026 Community History Seminar is a free evening program hosted by the CALS DIY Memory Lab and Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Designed especially for community-based organizations in Central Arkansas, the seminar supports groups with historically significant or at-risk records, particularly those documenting the experiences and histories of marginalized communities.
Led by Meredith Li (CALS DIY Memory Lab Coordinator) and Danielle Afsordeh (CALS Butler Center Community Outreach Archivist and Programs Coordinator), this four-part seminar series will equip you with essential archival skills, hands-on digitization experience, and digital storytelling tools. Whether you’re just getting started or deepening your preservation efforts, this program offers the resources and guidance you need to begin your archiving journey with a starter kit provided to each participant.
Program Overview
This in-person course spans four monthly evening sessions (2 hours each), hosted in the Community Room at CALS Fletcher Library—centrally located and easily accessible. You’ll also receive access to a private forum (with onboarding support) to connect with fellow participants and instructors between sessions.
Application deadline: June 15
Cohort notification deadline: July 7
Session Breakdown
All sessions will take place at the Fletcher Library Community Room, 823 N. Buchanan St., Little Rock, AR 72205.
Preserving the History Part I & Part II
August 12, 6:00 – 7:30 PM & September 9, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Explore how to preserve and organize your community’s historical records. Meredith Li and Danielle Afsordeh will introduce strategies for identifying significant materials, proper storage methods, and organizing records in a way that makes them searchable and usable.
Digitization & Preservation
Wednesday, October 14, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Learn how to digitize your materials using tools available through the CALS DIY Memory Lab. Li will guide you through scanning, file standards, description methods, and long-term preservation techniques.
Digitization & Metadata Work Month, November
Optional drop-in session on Friday Nov. 13 10 AM (CALS Roberts Library)
Telling Your Story
Wednesday, Dec 9, 6:00 – 7:45 PM
Discover how to share your history with the public. Afsordeh will introduce digital storytelling tools such as timelines, maps, and simple websites. Participants will also get hands-on guidance to draft a historical article for inclusion on a new digital project hosted on the Roberts Library website (and for use on a congregation website, if desired).
Telling Your Story optional drop-in session on Friday, January 8 @ 10 AM (CALS Roberts Library)
Program Features
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Resource Sharing:
Each session is supported by curated reading materials and brief assignments to prepare you for meaningful participation. -
Cohort Model:
We’re launching with a pilot cohort of up to 10 community organizations to ensure personalized support and representation from diverse backgrounds. Applications will be reviewed to ensure a balanced and engaged group. -
Lasting Impact:
If your organization is selected to be a part of the 2026 Community History Seminar cohort, you will be expected to deliver a 500-700 word short history of your organization and ten digital media items by the deadline specified by the facilitators. The history and ten digital items will also be featured on a project website created for the seminar. By confirming your participation in CHS 2026, you will be expected to have at least one representative from your organization present at each of the seminar sessions. -
A New Shared Space:
Build relationships across community organizations and form a collaborative environment, what we call a “third space,” where a shared commitment to memory and preservation thrives.