Het Flevolands Archief is a young organization in a young province. Since the organization still had to be largely built, initial discussions focused on internal developments. Once the team began thinking about ways to reach the public, it was immediately done with a vision for the future.
What developments play a role in our society? And how do they change our audience? Director Marloes van Someren shares during the Digital Determination webinar how her organization focused on the audience of the future.
"We want to show people why the archive is important to them, so you have to start thinking about how to engage people in the future."
Spotting Trends and Seizing Opportunities
Het Flevolands Archief identified two developments that inspired them: "We saw that people had a strong need for experiences and wanted to feel involved. We also saw a movement where archives, increasingly encouraged by the government, are presenting themselves online. These are two urgencies and, at the same time, opportunities. It requires a new infrastructure and new ways of working so that we can continue our work twenty, thirty, or even forty years from now."
How this could work was tested in the project ‘Dijken van polders’ (Dikes of Polders). The goal: to involve volunteers in a photo collection about the Zuiderzee. The photos were digitized, but the information about them needed to be written in a public-friendly way. Existing volunteers, as well as many new people, worked on this online. Due to the high level of involvement, the project progressed much faster than expected. Moreover, this collection is now well searchable and accessible to a broad audience.
To make the collection digitally accessible, Het Flevolands Archief involved volunteers through the platform Vele Handen
Learning by Doing
What mindset helps the organization become future-proof? Marloes: "Even though we don’t yet know exactly where we’re going, we want to take off. We have to do that together, adapting to the various things that might influence the future. This mindset allows us to keep changing whenever an adjustment is needed." This is at the core of future exploration: anticipating possible changes to make your organization resilient and agile.
Tips for Future Scenarios
Marloes has 4 tips for you to start working on future scenarios yourself:
Schedule Time for It
Make time with your team to delve into future scenarios.
Once Is Not Enough
Continue discussions over time; there will undoubtedly be new insights or trends to act on.
Plan Moments for Reflection and Evaluation
Regularly discuss how you are implementing new steps and whether you are still heading in the right direction.
Involve Your Stakeholders
Involve partners and the board of your organization in the new ideas and steps you plan to take. This keeps everyone engaged.
Ready to Get Started? Join a Workshop and Learn Scenario Thinking!
Go to the WorkshopThis article was created in collaboration with Het Flevolands Archief and Marloes van Someren.
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