Add Your Story
There are several different ways to add stories to the Mapping Lambert’s Point Project.
What You Need to Add a Story
Stories added directly to the website should include a location where they ought to be embedded (exact addresses or coordinates are preferred, but approximations [i.e., Parker Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street] are permitted).
When possible, please upload an image of the location as it existed at around the time the story took place or an approximate likeness (i.e., if you do not have a photo of the exterior of your grandmother’s house circa 1971, but you do have a drawing of the house that you made as a child, that will do fine). Stories can be uploaded without images.
We understand that the same place can have many different meanings for different peoples and that many of you have stories about places like the Smallwood school or the First Baptist Church. It is possible to add multiple stories about a single place.
Types of Stories
There is no right or wrong way to tell a story. We suggest that you answer some of the following questions when recounting your story about a particular place so that it becomes more than just a factual description.
- What is my fondest/least fondest memory about this place?
- Why was this place important to me at the time? Why is it important that I remember it now?
- How has this place influenced my life (did I meet someone of significance there? Did I have a life altering experience or realization there?)?
- How did this place serve the community’s needs or challenge its identity?
Other Ways to Contribute
We understand that not everyone has access to or feels comfortable using a computer. While a computer with internet is needed to access the Mapping Lambert’s Point website, there are other ways to contribute stories to the project.
Starting in October, the Mapping Lambert’s Point team will be at the Lambert’s Point Community Center every Thursday from 1:00-3:00PM to assist folks. We will collect stories (with your permission, we’ll record them and then transcribe them), we’ll assist with digitizing and scanning images, and we’ll offer tutorials on how to navigate as well as contribute directly to the website.
You can also call or email to set up an appointment with us to share stories. If mobility or transportation is an issue we are happy to come to your home to conduct the interview. Should you live outside Norfolk, we are also happy to collect your stories over the phone or via Skype or email. If you would like to share a story about growing up/living in Lambert’s Point to be included in the project, please feel free to email humanities@odu.edu or call 757-683-3821.
For your convenience, the City of Norfolk and Old Dominion University have each dedicated a computer terminal for folks to explore Mapping Lambert’s Point as well as contribute to the project. The Mapping Lambert’s Point kiosks will be housed at the Lambert’s Point Community Center as well as in the Perry Library’s Learning Commons area.