VTDNP Presentations

This page includes all our past presentations. Feel free to download, share, and reuse these materials!

Dynamic Landscapes: Using Historic Newspapers in the Classroom

On Thursday, May 21st, 2015, the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project staff gave a presentation on how to use Chronicling America in the classroom at the Dynamic Landscapes Conference: Do, Make, and Create at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.

Chronicling America: Using Historic Newspapers for Genealogy Research

This presentation was given Saturday, March 7, 2015, by Karyn Norwood and Erenst Anip at the Vermont Genealogy Library. A version of the presentation with audio will  be available soon!

Chronicling America: Using Historic                    Newspapers in the Classroom

On December 5, 2014, Karyn Norwood and Erenst Anip led a workshop for teachers at the annual Vermont Alliance for the Social Studies conference in Manchester, Vermont.

Using Chronicling America for History Day

On October 21, 2014, Erenst Anip  and Karyn Norwood gave a presentation on how to use Chronicling America for Vermont History Day, as part of the Vermont Historical Society’s annual workshop for teachers on History Day in Barre, Vermont.

NDNP Nuts & Bolts: Components of the grant

On October 20, 2014, Erenst Anip  gave a talk about the finer details of the National Digital Newspaper Program grant.  His presentation was part of a joint session with the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project at NELA 2014 Annual Conference presentation on October 20, 2014 in Boxborough, MA.

Expressions: The Newspaper Masthead

Presentation given by Erenst Anip at the National Digital Newspaper’s Annual Meeting in September 2014.  The focus was on how newspaper mastheads can give insight into local culture and the history of newspaper development. They thus make great exhibits!

Petcha Kucha-inspired talk about VTDNP (with sound commentary!)

Presentation given by Erenst Anip and Karyn Norwood on VTDNP and Chronicling America at the Vermont Cultural Heritage Professionals Meeting in August 2014. A quick introduction to the project. Download for sound!

Historically Speaking Rutland TV                  Appearance

PowerPoint accompanying a television appearance on Chronicling America and the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project in the spring of 2014. You can also view this episode (#132), through the Rutland Historical Society’s webpage by visiting this page: Historically Speaking.

VTDNP at the World Library & Information Congress 2013 in Singapore:

    • Newspapers in a Global Microcosm: Updates & Activities from the IFLA Newspapers Section: Presentation slides prepared by Birdie MacLennan to accompany a lightening talk given at Annual Awardee conference of the National Digital Newspaper Program at the Library of Congress on September 12, 2013.
    • Bringing the past to the people: outreach efforts and value-added content for chronicling America in Hawaii and Vermont
      VTDNP Project Librarian, Erenst Anip, presented a paper that he co-authored with Jodie Mattos, “Bringing the past to the people: outreach efforts and value-added content for chronicling America in Hawaii and Vermont” at IFLA Newspapers Standing Committee Open Forum (Session 153) on August 20, 2013.

Photo album on VTDNP Facebook Page.

VTDNP at the UVM Library Conference Day 2013:

There’s a lot you can do with the rich content that historic newspapers provide! Karyn Norwood, VTDNP Digital Support Specialist, presented a research project on the Bennington (Vt) Opera House, using Chronicling America to find interesting newspaper advertisements and articles that illustrated the transitions in the entertainment industry in rural Vermont in the early 20th century.

Growing Fields exhibit at the UVM Library Lobby:

Images from Chronicling America used in exhibit [Flickr]

The University of Vermont Bailey/Howe Library Lobby is host to a colorful summer collection of farm and food images in a summer 2013 exhibit called “Growing Fields”. The exhibit features newspaper clippings from the Vermont Farmer to provide historical background of agriculture here in Vermont.

VTDNP in LRTS – a peer reviewed article:

The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project and the National Digital Newspaper Program,” by Tom McMurdo and Birdie MacLennan. Library Resources & Technical Services 53, no.3 (July 2013): 148-163. This article provides a detailed overview of the VTDNP as a state partner in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

VTDNP at the Vermont Library Conference:

Chronicling America / Chronicling Vermont: Historic Newspapers:
VTDNP collaborators, Erenst Anip, Birdie MacLennan, Chris Kirby, and Tom McMurdo provide a brief project overview and present three topics to illustrate use of Chronicling America in finding different angles to interesting historical themes in Vermont newspapers of the 19th and early 20th centuries – alongside other states’ newspapers covering similar themes or topics.

Genealogical Research

Presented by Tom McMurdo at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Vermont in South Hero, Vermont, October 20, 2012.

Communication and Outreach Strategies


Presented by Tom McMurdo and Birdie MacLennan at the National Digital Newspaper Program Awardee Conference at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, DC, September 27, 2012.

VTDNP session for Turning Points in American History:

Presented by Tom McMurdo on July 26, 2012 as part of an interactive class for the Vermont K-12 teacher professional development program, Turning Points in American History.

VTDNP at NASIG 2012:

Two-part presentation, “The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project: Starting a State Newspaper Digitization Program.” An overview of the VTDNP from planning stages and implementation to the creation of metadata and the transformation of microfilmed newspapers into online searchable content: Part one and Part two.

Project structure and execution:

A more technical overview of the genesis and execution of the project, presented by Project members Chris Kirby, Birdie MacLennan, Prudence Doherty and Tom McMurdo: VTDNP NELA presentation, Oct. 2011.

Pecha kucha!

We participated in a “Pechakucha” event at the UVM Fleming Museum on September 15, 2011. Pechakucha is a format where twenty seconds are alloted for twenty slides.

Advisory Committee and Title Selection:


This brief eight slide presentation provides an overview of the VTDNP Advisory Committee and Title Selection processes. It was prepared by Birdie MacLennan and delivered by Tom McMurdo at the NDNP Annual Award Meeting in Washington, DC, August 29, 2011.

VTDNP at the Massachusetts Library Association Conference:

On April 27, 2011, VTDNP members Chris Kirby and Tom McMurdo joined the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) Chrissy Watkins Rissmeyer for a joint presentation on the NDNP and the VTDNP at the Massachusetts Library Association conference.