Memories of Migration: New Mexico, Part 1

Memories of Migration is a three-year national demonstration “memory gathering” project funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to a group of library partners and the interactive map website Historypin. The project is designed for libraries that serve new immigrant communities, to help them build local cultural heritage collections related to their changing demographics, and to encourage community dialogue and ease tensions between old timers and newcomers.

Thanks to an invitation from Jon Voss, Historypin's Director for Strategic Partnerships, New Mexico was invited to participate in the project. Jon reached out to the Center for Cultural Technology, a program of the Department of Media Arts & Technology at New Mexico Highlands University and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, to develop a model for rural education and outreach. 

Last fall, an Exhibit Design Class created the prototype based on the university’s hometown of Las Vegas, New Mexico, about 60 miles from Santa Fe. The community partner was the Las Vegas Citizens’ Committee for Historic Preservation (LVCCHP), a local non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the architectural and cultural heritage of Las Vegas. It’s storefront museum also serves as a Santa Fe Trail Interpretative Center, highlighting Las Vegas as an important hub along one of the nation’s major migration routes. LVCCHP was the venue and fiscal agent for the project. In addition LVCCHP served as the primary research resource. The students created a multimedia exhibit and profile on Historypin. 

The students' prototype will now be adapted for travel around New Mexico to public and tribal libraries holding “memory gathering” events, bringing to life local stories of migration and immigration. Over the next few years, stories from Las Vegas and other rural communities in New Mexico will be documented on a profile on Historypin and connected to stories from other communities across the nation to tell the collective story of the American migration and immigration experience.