A new digital historical project called The People's Archive will be showcased at this weekend's Birmingham ArtsFest, with the public invited to share their local knowledge and memories.

The People’s Archive has been designed as a new online resource for Birmingham's collective memory and will include one of the city's most popular photographic collections, the Warwickshire Photographic Survey, online.

If the pilot is successful, The People’s Archive will be developed further, providing an expansive digital resource available to everyone, from local people curious about their city’s past, to serious researchers and students.

Around 500 images of the city centre will be available on a map-based browser when the pilot launches at ArtsFest in Centenary Square. Organisers hope it will prompt memories and personal knowledge of people and places.

The aim is for members of the public to help solve mysteries and provide missing details – for example by recognising a face in a photo or being able to confirm a date.

Brian Gambles, project director for the Library of Birmingham, said: “Artsfest is a fantastic event which demonstrates everything that is great about Birmingham.

"It as the perfect arena to engage the public in the Library of Birmingham, and in The People’s Archive. This represents an opportunity for the public to not only preserve the rich history of the city they love, but to shape its future too.

"Therefore, we invite all ArtsFest visitors to visit our stand, contribute their knowledge and share their memories as we look to build this exciting historical resource, and to find out more about the Library of Birmingham as we look ahead to its opening in 2013.”

The People’s Archive is just part of the programme of entertainment being offered by Birmingham Libraries at ArtsFest, with judging for the new Birmingham Young Poet Laureate set to take place at 2pm on Saturday (September 11) in Library Theatre.

On Sunday, the focus will be on a former Birmingham Young Poet Laureate, with Matt Windle, who was unveiled as a ‘Face’ of the Library of Birmingham in May, set to make an appearance.

Matt will be on hand between 12pm-4pm to help inform visitors about the new building and the search for new ‘Faces’, as well entertaining the crowds with displays of his energetic brand of ‘Slam Poetry’, including his Library of Birmingham poem, ‘Rewriting the Book’.

Information videos, displays and models of the Library of Birmingham will be available to view in Central Library’s reception, while staff will also be on hand at reception and at the Library’s stall, sharing information about the project and the search for ‘Faces’ of the Library of Birmingham.

www.artsfest.org.uk