Imagine the Potential
From the start, our intention was clear: generate funds on Steemit for the historical institutions of Philadelphia. A good idea, we thought: this city and its surrounding counties are home to scores of nonprofit stewards, many small, some midsize, all constantly competing for limited financial resources. These institutions and sites are full—burgeoning—with authentic and in many cases unique, historical resources of all kinds. These institutions comprise a front line for history, protecting, preserving, interpreting...
Yet, to a one, their financial resources are spread thin, too thin for sustainability in some cases.
As institutions continue to collect and interpret, their limited resources grow even more scarce. Economists call this affliction Baumol’s Cost Disease, when costs rise sharply for the same result.
It is no illusion: consultants who’ve studied Philadelphia cultural ecosystem confirm: there are too many mouths to feed, it may be time for the weakest of these organizations to call it quits.
This sector needs more than tens of thousands of dollars. It needs more than hundreds of thousands. Millions, actually tens of millions are needed. If the lack of money was not a standing issue, a perennial restraint, projects deferred for a lifetime, deferred for forever essentially, could get underway. Roofs could be patched. Masonry pointed. Landscapes restored. Collections conserved and catalogued. Databases created for access to citizens, students and visitors.
We’re only be scratching the surface by our efforts @phillyhistory. But you have to start somewhere, right?
What are the best of the highest priorities? That’s what we want to find out. It would be a beginning. Then, over time, the Steemit model might prove to be a good one for the content rich, cash poor phillyhistory ecosystem. More and more cultural institutions would join in the fray cashing in, literally, on the public interest. Before long, a trickle of currency would grow into a steady stream for a cash-starved sector that had long had a seemingly endless supply of stories and stuff.
Funds generated here at Steemit by @phillyhistory by fifteen graduate students posting, commenting and curating hundreds of times over the 15 week semester, funds generated by you are generating a new stream of much needed resources and maybe more—a new model for sustainability.
So what projects in the museums, libraries, historic sites and archives will we choose? Can we actually make a difference in the future of the past?
Stay tuned for nominations and suggestions by the students of @phillyhistory.
100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment conducted by graduate courses at Temple University's Center for Public History and MLA Program, is exploring history and empowering education. Click here to learn more.
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This post has been deemed resteem & upvote worthy by your friendly @eastcoaststeem ran by Steemian @chelsea88