The American Front Porch (AFP) project aims to create and evaluate a sharium devoted to the American South. Just as the front porch is a physical interface between our public and private lives, the AFP will serve as a shared interface for a community of practice related to the history, culture, and economic and social development of the American South. We will link experts from multiple institutes and universities, and work intensively with students and instructors in secondary schools and community colleges to evaluate the technical, informational and social requirements for the next generation of digital libraries. Our fundamental goals in the AFP are to extend research more fully in the public services area of digital libraries, and discover ways to leverage technology to create new levels of human participation and contribution.