Focusing on the period between the 1850s and 1950s, the resource will be used as part of the Curriculum for Excellence levels 2 to 4, where pupils study key points in history including Victorian Britain and the home front during World War Two.
Using photographs, documents, and recordings of face-to-face interviews with the featured individuals themselves or with their relatives, Whose Town? showcases the experiences of fourteen people who lived through the various periods. Pupils can learn about each individual by clicking on a box on the screen to access all the information it contains.
The featured case studies include Robert Louis Stevenson and Bessie Watson, who at nine years old played the bagpipes as she took part in the Edinburgh Procession and Women's Demonstration of 9 October 1909.
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: "Bringing history to life is such a powerful way of engaging children's attention. This project will not only help them learn key areas of the curriculum but will hopefully stimulate an interest in the history on their doorstep. Young people are the future custodians of our heritage so their passion for it is vital if we are to keep that heritage from being lost forever."
Whose Town? is a collaborative project led by Edinburgh City Libraries with the following partners: Edinburgh City Museums and Galleries, Edinburgh City Archives, Children and Families Department, The Living Memory Association, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Scotland Map Library, Lothian Health Services Archive, General Register Office for Scotland and the Museum of Fire.
The resource will be accessible from all city schools via the GLOW network and also on CD. In time, the Whose Town? concept has the potential to be rolled out nationally.