Thanks for your interest in becoming an SBYF Scribe.

So much of our history has been lost, but now we have the ability to ensure that doesn’t happen anymore.  Amazing stories are all around you…you  just need to go out and find them.

All SBYF memories are written in the first person. So if you’re interviewing someone, you have to write the
memory from their point of view.  It’s a shared imaginative experience.  This may feel a little strange at first, but that’s why it’s such a powerful experience for both the Scribe and the “Memoree.”  The Memoree gets their own personal biographer; they get someone looking them in the eye, hanging on every word, confirming that their story matters; the Scribe gets to  imagine the world in exciting new ways, then figure out how to express that experience as a narrative scene.

Important note: You must obtain the written permission of the “Memoree” before publishing their memory into our library.  This is very, very important.  If you are working with someone who is cognitively impaired, you must obtain the written permission of their legal guardian.  If we are notified of any memories that have been added into our library without permission we will remove them and may, at our discretion, ban the user from adding postcards in the future.

Our Memory Library functions like all local public libraries: it is totally free and open to the public.  Our goal is to use our library, and its associated publications, to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia.  We believe it’s vital to share our stories so that the public will confront and address this crisis.