Foreword

Scattered Seeds ñ He Purapura Marara

Generously funded by the Dunedin Lebanese Community, our Scattered Seeds Digital Archive has been going from strength to strength, since it was launched in May 2016, building on local history and digitised library collections.

The Dunedin Lebanese Community have contributed a selection of their early historic photos, along with descriptions that track the development of their community from harsher times to the present day. Other organisations, including Police Search and Rescue, Land Search and Rescue, Olveston and the Taieri Mouth Community Group, are also offering photographs and commentary to ensure their histories are preserved in perpetuity. Dunedin Public Libraries is constantly seeking to engage with local organisations and individuals to capture rare, fragile and endangered content which should be preserved. Contact us if you or your community group have an interest in being involved. There are opportunities for digital volunteers with the right skills to work with library staff.

Public Libraries which offer such digital archiving services report that local content which is not generally available elsewhere on the Internet attracts a great deal of interest which just goes to show how people cherish content related to their own histories and culture. Our archive will live in perpetuity and year on year the range of content will increase to create a rich inter-related tapestry of Dunedin and Otago's heritage.