Digitising Riley House: Collaborating to bring a museum’s archives online

In 2021, the John G. Riley Center and Museum of African American History and Culture received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to digitise its archives. This project aimed to preserve and make accessible the rich history of African American communities in Florida. The grant facilitated the digitisation of the Riley House Archives at Tallahassee State College (TSC) and audiovisual materials held by Riley House, alongside a series of workshops to share the knowledge gained from the project. The project was a collaborative effort involving Riley House staff, City of Tallahassee personnel, Florida State University faculty, TSC staff and interns. Key challenges included logistical issues, copyright concerns, and the need for continuous adjustments to the project plan. Despite these hurdles, the team successfully digitised over 5,000 items, including photos, letters, business documents, yearbooks and oral histories from 24 collections. The project also focused on creating a sustainable digital library using Omeka S software, ensuring longterm accessibility and management. Interns played a crucial role, gaining valuable hands-on experience and contributing significantly to the project’s success. The initiative not only enhanced the discoverability of the Riley Archives but also provided a replicable model for other institutions within the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network. This case study will share how we designed and executed this project along with highlighting the challenges and importance of partnership building across institutions to make large-scale digitisation projects successful in a finite timeline. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection, which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.