The development of community historical archives through digitization days and community forums, which will document the agricultural and timber heritage of southern Oregon. Through the digitization of family photographs and other publicly held artifacts, the project would document the dramatic change of Oregon’s landscape over the past century, including the transition away from a timber economy to industrial agriculture and urban development. The project would increase awareness of southern Oregon’s occupational folklore heritage, improve access to important cultural documents, and support partnerships between the Josephine County Historical Society, local public library systems, and the Southern Oregon University. The collected images, artifacts, and stories of heritage farm families and loggers would enrich local and regional collections, provide content for research, enhance pride of place, and showcase the state’s rich heritage. The project would be organized by a consortium of local organizations, led by the Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library, county 4-H programs of the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, Jackson County Library Services, and Josephine County Historical Society.

Southern Oregon's landscape has changed dramatically over the last hundred years. Historic family farms have yielded to housing developments, pear trees have been pulled out to plant vineyards, and timber is nearly played out. The Legacy Labor project is designed to document a way of life that may be lost to memory because of cultural, political, and economic pressures. Legacy Labor organizes humanities-based community forums about the region's agricultural and timber heritage, digitizes family photos and artifacts, and develops rich historical archives for public use. The project is designed to increase awareness of heritage agriculture and timber work life and to enhance the importance of preserving and sharing community values. Legacy Labor: Making a Living on the Land in Southern Oregon focuses on the work life heritage of two contiguous, largely rural counties in Southern Oregon: Jackson and Josephine counties.