Library of Congress

The Library of Congress in partnership with the Eastern Oklahoma Library System opened an immersive experience called "Memories in the Current" in Muskogee, Oklahoma on May 16. Library of Congress staff created this new experience in the Muskogee Public Library where visitors can encounter rivers of text projected across the walls and floors, carrying the memories of local Oklahoma residents alongside historical accounts from the digital collections held at the Library of Congress.

Visitors to the Muskogee Public Library can experience "Memories in the Current" by browsing memory matches and submitting their own words to flow down a digital simulation of the Neosho (Grand), Arkansas or Verdigris rivers that intersect just to the north of Muskogee.

Library of Congress staff used community memories of the local waterways to identify almost 800 similar accounts from letters, diaries, oral histories and books of historic figures from within the Library's digital collections.

LOCal is a multiyear pilot initiative to expand access to Library of Congress digital collections through partnerships with public libraries and the communities they serve. This initiative is a collaboration to create meaningful digital experiences by activating Library of Congress digital collections, exploring emerging technologies and approaches, and expanding programming in communities outside of Washington, D.C.

For transcript and more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/video-12244/