I did a radio interview with Dr. Bradley Gottfried the President of the College of Southern Maryland today on his Sunday morning radio show, “Southern Maryland Perspectives.”Dr. Gottfried interviews scholars and newsmakers about local perspectives for several Southern Maryland radio station, which air his weekly show.
I will be at the College on November 17, 2013, participating in a series, “the War of 1812:A Legacy of Division.”My talk examines newspapers, mail, and communications during the War of 1812 and the President and I discussed how news could only move as fast as someone could physically carry the message. When the war came to our shores, the sharing of news and information was critical and so we also examined how newspapers gathered and distributed urgent news content, during the half-hour show.
The ferry running between Pennsville, NJ and New Castle DE. Source: Boston Public Library, Flickr Commons
As a result of developing research materials for centuries many of the nation’s largest public libraries have vast collections of photographs and postcards from earlier times. These items, which are helpful to those digging into the past, have always been available, safely preserved and stored away for visiting patrons. But now access is greatly enhanced as many of these institutions implement online sharing platforms that support the organization’s mission by increasing access for education, research, and personal enrichment.
The Boston Public Library (BPL), following the example of the Library of Congress, is one of the institutions that has embraced this approach. It has about 86,000 images on the Commons. BPL’s photostream is organized into collections and sets. clustered by major topic and state. It has many historical treasures, including posters, postcards, labels, sheet music, trade cards, and much more. There are 189 Delaware and 380 Maryland postcards, for example.
The goal of the Flickr Commons is to increase access to publicly held photograph collections and provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge.
Check it out. You will find images there that will catch your interest as more institutions find innovative ways to share holdings found in the “world’s public photography archives.” Beyond making the images available on the Internet, visitors are invited to contribute to the public knowledge by adding tags and leaving comments.
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Flickr, Google and Others are Out to Catalog the World’s Public Photo Archives.
The blog Indicommons has a lot of additional information about the the Flickr approach. Check it out for details, but here are some points the site makes
“The Commons . . . expands creative freedom and enriches culture by pushing cultural media outside of the confines and limitation of physical media and by making this media available . . .”
“Participating institutions benefit from greater exposure of its collections through Flickr’s high profile and it’s large user base.”
“The Commons also allows participating institutions to harness the limitless power of the crowd to mine otherwise inaccessible data.”
“The Commons provides educators and their students a wealth of historical imagery and information from around the world. It also allows educators and their students to participate in the historical research and tagging.”
A Dover, DE postcard from the Boston LibraryThe Boston Library’s Flicker Commons
The Milford Public Library has greatly increased the usability of an important research resource by digitizing its collection of local newspapers. The new products, replacing the old, original microfilm, are not available on the web, so e-copies must be used on a computer workstation at the library.
The town on the line between Kent and Sussex counties had a strong Delaware product, the weekly Milford Chronicle. It started publishing in 1883 and each week the editors’ packed the pages with fresh, insightful area news from the town and nearby neighborhoods. When investigating downstate subjects, the strength and quality of this serial usually makes it one to check out for the pages are crammed with original, local news. The library has carried the run of the Chronicle forward to present times. A paper of more recent origin, the Beacon was also digitized.
These professionally scanned, high-quality images are valuable and join a growing body of digitized Delaware newspapers. Thank you Milford Public Library.
The Milford Chronicle at the Milford Public LibraryThe Milford Chronicle has been digitized by the Milford Public Library
Caroline Thompson, Mike Dixon, and President Ezzie Murray of the Cecil County Chapter. Photo Credit: Cecil County Chapter
Each year, the Cecil County Branch of the NAACP recognizes the dedicated work of individuals who go above and beyond, providing “selfless and community-oriented service.” At the 51st Annual Freedom Fund Banquet this year, the Branch named me as the recipient of the “2013 Community Service Award” in recognition of my “commitment to research, the preservation of history, and the pursuit of excellence in Community Services to the Branch and the public.” I was pleased to receive the NAACP award, especially in this historic year for the Civil Rights movement. Thank you, President Murray, officers, and members, for this special recognition and honor.
