The project Uncommon Poles is implemented by students from eleven high schools, under the leadership of the International Centre for Information Management Systems and Services  based in Toruń, in the period from August to December 2018. The project was partly funded by the Ministry of Education as part of the Programme supporting the development of highly talented students.

The task is a continuation of the project Restoring the memory of generations, in which in 2017 six schools prepared virtual exhibitions devoted to selected figures. All exhibitions will be incorporated in the common portal Uncommon People, which, we hope, will be expanded in the coming years. Among the figures selected to be portrayed in the exhibition are artists, priests, scientists and inventors, sportsmen, travellers, defenders of the homeland and politicians, and even an honorary Indian chief.

The task of students working in small groups is to conduct research on individual biographies of people who lived and created in independent Poland this year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the struggle for prosperity. The final result of the study is the presentation of the results in the form of a virtual exhibition based on materials obtained by students on their own (documents, photographs, interviews) from various sources, including private, previously unpublished ones.

During the project, students learn about the principles of using professional online sources, such as regional digital libraries, the National Digital Archives, Private Collections Digital Library, Europeana etc.  They get to know the rules and technique of digitisation of documents that are used in the exhibition. Where possible, they also take their own pictures, and make short films. Depending on the portrayed figure, these can be short videos, interviews or surveys. Virtual exhibitions are created using MOVIO, the software developed as part of the European AthenaPlus project, in which the International Centre for Information Management took part.

The invitation to participate in the project, partly funded by the Ministry of National Education, was sent to approx. three thousand upper secondary schools. Eleven schools were selected to carry out the task. All schools that were interested in the participation, but were not included in the project, or due to time and financial constraints could not take part in this edition, are encouraged to view the completed exhibitions and prepare attractive proposals, when the next opportunity arises.