Many people have material relevant to political conflict, violence and peace in their possession but they are not easily able to get somewhere where it could be archived, stored, shared and studied. After decades of both positive as well as negative experiences, in conjunction with the Literature, Science and Arts College at the University of Michigan, I have created the Mobile Archive Recovery Unit or MARU. This vehicle, which will be available to all at the University of Michigan, can be outfitted with different equipment as deemed necessary - copiers, scanners, video cameras and/or audio recording machines. There will even be a way to just open up the side like a food truck to just have people walk up like the old Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) trucks. There were a bunch of decisions made on the design that were made to facilitate this (which I will discuss another time).
MARU will allow researchers to go into the field/street and assist people throughout the Midwest with sharing their material for subsequent evaluation at the University of Michigan as well as online. The big dream is to have regionally stationed MARU's throughout the United States so that we can go into relevant communities to collect as well as to share what amazing history we have co-created together.
MARU at Michigan will be simple: sign it out, assemble what you need and then go make history. First efforts should be taking place in the new year. More coming.
MARU will allow researchers to go into the field/street and assist people throughout the Midwest with sharing their material for subsequent evaluation at the University of Michigan as well as online. The big dream is to have regionally stationed MARU's throughout the United States so that we can go into relevant communities to collect as well as to share what amazing history we have co-created together.
MARU at Michigan will be simple: sign it out, assemble what you need and then go make history. First efforts should be taking place in the new year. More coming.
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