Tools you can trust? Co-design in community heritage work

Abstract

This chapter will examine the role of co-design methods in relation to the recent Pararchive Project (http://pararchive.com) that took place between 2013 and 2015 at the University of Leeds. It will draw on the experiences of conducting the project and broader critical frames to examine the nature of collaborative working in the field of cultural heritage and storytelling. It will outline the lessons we have learned from the process and the ways in which the relationships between citizens and cultural institutions are central to working in the heritage sector. It seeks to advocate for the necessity of collaborative methods in the creation of cultural heritage tools that are trusted and adopted by communities.