After Jura’s award-winning oral history project of 2012-14, the community of Jura is on the threshold of an exciting digital expansion that could see more of their local knowledge and rich historical records being shared online. The Jura Development Trust are exploring the options for pulling together a new project that would find dynamic ways of preserving more of Jura’s amazing heritage and opening it up to friends of Jura around the globe, without affecting the unspoilt landscape or compromising on the values upheld by islanders. A new project could involve a mobile app about the island that uses augmented reality to uncover archaeological sites.
A phd student from Aberdeen University is working with the community to train people in the use of wiki-technologies so that the island could eventually have its own online encyclopaedia, a ‘Jurapedia’ (Google ‘Jurapedia’ to see the skeleton site). Also proposed are opportunities for residents to learn new skills, and improvements in facilities for accessing the oral history and genealogy records on the island, such as a portal at the care centre and a ‘tardis’ in Craighouse.
Jane Carswell, coordinating the JDT’s efforts on the Time Machine campaign says: “We’re a small community but we’re smart. There is no reason why, in the digital realm, Jura can’t compete globally for status and virtual visitors which, with our on-island limitations like the mini-road but our hugely rich history, could suit us really well.”
Donations to support the feasibility stages of this work can be made online through fundsurfer.com. This is to pay for local community
consultation, guidance and staff time looking into precedents and financing. In return for their early investment, donors will receive a selection of limited-edition, uniquely-island, rewards! Google ‘Jura Time Machine’ to discover more.
