Democratising Digitisation : Making History with Community Music Societies in Digitally Enabled Collaborations.
R. Cowgill, A. Dix, C. Bashford, J.S. Downie, M. Twidale, M. Reagan, T. Ridgwell and S. McVeigh
Paper presented at 7th International Conference on Digital Libraries for Musicology, 16 Oct 2020.

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Abstract:  In post-COVID times we are focusing quite rightly on the plight of our major cultural institutions; but just as important are the local societies that enrich community life, including amateur music societies, devastated by stringent social-distancing requirements and the health and safety implications of live performance in small spaces. We propose a vision of digitally enabled collaboration that may help these societies rebuild their sense of community and purpose, by working together with academics, archives, and a major US arts centre to reconnect with their past and enrich understanding of their own histories and traditions within a broader national context.