Mariners’ Log: Community Archives
“Through the water, we are one city, one region, one nation, one world. Find your own connection to the world’s waters and, ultimately, to each other.”
This experience is meant to provide a space for you to share your maritime connection with us, and potentially, your fellow maritime community. Your story may become part of The Mariners’ Museum and Park’s® archives and may be used to help spark another’s appreciation for our shared maritime heritage!
You can upload images, text, audio, or video files. Unsure what to share? Find inspiration in our Frequently Asked Questions section.
You have the option to submit an anonymous response.
Mariners’ Log: A Community Archives Submission Form
Frequently Asked Questions About Submitting Content
Share your connection and become part of The Mariners’ Museum and Park’s first ever Community Archives Collection.
The Mariner’s Museum and Park is collecting stories from people just like you! Our team is currently creating a community archives collection composed entirely of user-generated content. We will then store and maintain the data as a unique archives collection within the Museum. We want to preserve your work, thoughts, and feelings in a truly meaningful way.
Archives are collections of physical materials that are deemed to have lasting value and are preserved for future reference. As defined by the International Council on Archives: “Archives are the documentary by-product of human activity retained for their long-term value. The records created in the course of the everyday lives and actions of individuals and organisations offer direct insights into past events.”
The Mariners’ Library and Archives holds the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. We view ourselves as stewards of the shared maritime heritage that lives within our Museum’s art, artifact, and archival collections.
Personal information will not be shared with external parties and will be used for internal archival organizing purposes only. However, as the project grows, some stories may be shared with fellow guests and patrons. This may include transcript, audio, video or other formatting options in our galleries. Why? To foster a sense of value and belonging, so individuals feel connected to a community through shared experiences.
Stories related to your experiences and memories on the waters — past or present. Stories about our local community. Stories about a relative or intergenerational maritime experiences. Ultimately, a story that creates memory or meaning for you.
- Did you work on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay?
- Are you a merchant mariner?
- Have you lived in Newport News and seen the city change?
- Do you or someone you know work at Newport News shipyard?
- Have you visited our museum and have fond memories?
- Did you or a family member serve in our military?
- Do you enjoy fishing with friends and family?
- Did you have a family member who spent their life on the water?
These questions are designed to help guide your thoughts, but by no means are meant to limit your responses; be as creative and open as you wish.
You may submit feedback and/or material as often as you like! There is no limitation on the number of times you choose to submit. If you are working on a photographic series or installments of a written story, for example, you may submit as you create or submit all items at once when you are finished. It’s up to you!
Submissions can be anonymous if you choose this option in the submission form.
We are accepting any digital format, so please feel free to create and submit content in whichever format you are most comfortable (pictures, links to your blog posts, digital prints of artwork, video, audio recordings, etc.).
If you wish to submit material in analog form, please fill out the same submission form and email [email protected] with a description of your item(s). Please note that retrieval or delivery of any physical items is dependent upon our Collections Management policy, and items may or may not be accepted into the archives for physical storage. An Archives team member will contact you about your inquiry.
We want to preserve your work, memories, and feelings. Please do not submit materials that are not your own or may contain sensitive information, including (but not limited to):
- Copyrighted or unoriginal content, meaning anything of which you are not the original creator.
- Links to news articles from websites or other online publications, for example, unless you are the original author of such work. The goal of this project is to collect original material from our community members.
- Sensitive information like medical information. It’s important that you do not submit personally identifiable health information about you, or another person or persons, or information that could allow a third party to identify other people. This information is legally protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Before submitting content you will be asked to agree to the listed terms and conditions on the submission page. If you change your mind about submitting content to the project after the fact, you may contact the Museum point of contact, [email protected], at any time to withdraw your submission and revoke authorization for use of your content. This withdrawal must be made in writing.