Almost all of my family’s long-standing traditions are related directly to food. The annual preparation of certain meals for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions personally gives me a sense of security – as well as remind me that food influences my identity as a Hoosier, a third generation Japanese-American, and a member of the Hastings and Wall family. However, it has only recently occurred to me to start preserving the recipes that have lived in my family’s kitchen junk drawer. The Hastings-Wall Family Library is my latest family history project and one I’m excited to see grow.
Using CollectionBuilder and Github, I was able to create a digital library for some of my family’s most treasured and frequently used recipes. The objective is to give my family members a practical means of accessing certain recipes, all the while digitally preserving the physical objects. The browse function on CollectionBuilder gives users a full list of the recipes and is the most straightforward method for finding items. I also designed the subjects field to give users quick access to items related to specific holidays, people, and time periods. Unsurprisingly, Thanksgiving is one of the most referenced subject headings.
Feel free to explore the collection as I continue to improve the site, namely, correcting spelling errors, adding new recipes, and creating a digital exhibit feature. I hope the Hastings-Wall Family Recipe Library acts as a template for your future recipe archive.
Wayne's Wonder-Room 