4Culture Heritage Mapping Project
Mapping Cultural Preservation in King County
Contents: About the Project | Project Goals | Data Sources | Technical Development | Acknowledgments | Tech
About the Project
The 4Culture Heritage Mapping Project is a digital initiative that visualizes cultural organizations, collections, and living archives throughout King County. Aligned with the 4Culture Heritage Department’s mission, this project supports, advocates for, and preserves heritage in its broadest sense—encompassing local and ethnic history, indigenous and traditional culture, folklore, and archaeological resources.
By surfacing organizations and individuals engaged in heritage work, this project makes visible both institutional and community-based practices of cultural preservation across the region.
Project Goals
This project aims to:
- Increase public access to data about cultural stewardship in King County
- Map both tangible collections and intangible heritage practices
- Highlight the work of organizations historically underrepresented in the heritage field
- Support community-driven approaches to history, memory, and identity
Data Sources
Content on this site is drawn from:
- Application materials submitted to 4Culture grant programs such as Heritage Projects and Collections Care
- Internal assessments and survey reports
- Publicly available organizational information
- Insights from community and program partners
The project displays organization-level information only and follows 4Culture’s data governance policy regarding sensitive or demographic data.
Technical Development
This site is built using CollectionBuilder-GH, an open-source tool developed by the University of Idaho Library and powered by GitHub Pages. Technical development and customization for this site are supported by the University of Washington. The platform prioritizes open access, sustainability, and minimal computing principles.
Acknowledgments
This mapping project is a collaborative effort between 4Culture staff, interns, and community partners. We thank the many cultural organizations and individuals across King County whose heritage work, commitment, and care have informed this resource.
Technical Credits - CollectionBuilder
This digital collection is built with CollectionBuilder, an open source framework for creating digital collection and exhibit websites that is developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library following the Lib-Static methodology.
The site started from the CollectionBuilder-GH template which utilizes the static website generator Jekyll and GitHub Pages to build and host digital collections and exhibits.