HistoryPin is a digital gallery, timeline, and map, all rolled into one beautiful, interactive, and FREE package. It is a way to create an open, crowdsourced archive of images, sound files, and text around a place, neighborhood, or location.
You, too, can create a collection, like the San Francisco MTA Photo Archive Collection, or the NYPL Collection.
All you need to do is sign up for a free account, and either create your own collection, or add to an existing collection. All of the collections are open, meaning you can add to anyone else’s collection, and anyone can add to yours (though you have management capabilities). This inability to create private collections may discourage some faculty from using it in the classroom, but HistoryPin’s openness is built on the philosophy that history should be open and collectively authored. Their description says it all: “Historypin is a way for people to come together to share and celebrate local history. It consists of a shared archive, a mutually supportive community and a collaborative approach to engagement with local history.”
Some of the features include:
- Pin info
- Compatible with Google Street View: allows you to overlay your image on Google Maps image, with fade slider
- No word or character limit to description
- Tags
- Use web images or local files
- Add pin to multiple collections
- Two ways to facilitate conversation
- The collection’s discussion board
- Comments on individual pins within the collection
- Metadata
- Each pin requires the designation of a license
- Ability to add additional attribution information
- Create tours
AND, you can embed your collection into your Web Publishing site, like this:
To learn more about HistoryPin and to get started, see their About page.