Tag Archives: VTDNP

New Exhibit! Cycling Through the News: The Rise of Bicycling in Vermont & the Nation

The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project is proud to announce the opening of a new exhibit at the Bailey/Howe Library lobby on the University of Vermont campus (where VTDNP is headquartered): Cycling Through the News: The Rise of Bicycling in Vermont & the Nation.

11062147_901252269920347_2625373996719449317_n
Click to enlarge.

The UVM Libraries summer exhibit looks at the rise of bicycling in America from 1870 to 1920. Newspapers contributed to the nation’s bicycle mania with articles, advertisements, and announcements for cycling events. Stories about health effects (good and bad), adventurous cyclists, cycling etiquette, bicycles and the modern woman, and the need for better roads were common. Advertisements promoted bicycle sales and repair shops, touring opportunities, and sporting events.

The Appeal., June 19, 1897, Page 2

“Cycling through the News” was curated by the staff of the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project. Karyn Norwood, digital support specialist, searched Chronicling America, the national newspaper database of the Library of Congress, to find an amazing collection of materials on all aspects of the bicycling phenomenon that swept the country. The exhibit includes period photographs, advertising and brochures, as well as artifacts. Glenn Eames and Burlington’s Old Spokes Home generously loaned lamps, bells, a flask, a brass horn and other items.

The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs until August 26, 2015.

Essex County herald., June 23, 1899, Image 1
Wheelmen (and women!) played a critical role in advocating for improved road conditions, as part of the Good Roads Movement in the United States at the turn of the century. Essex County herald., June 23, 1899, Page 1

Stay tuned for additional news on upcoming related events and exhibits!

 

Recap: Dynamic Landscapes Conference 2015

customLogo

Last week, the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project staff had the opportunity to present to over twenty teachers, librarians, administrators, and technology specialists at the Dynamic Landscapes: Do, Make and Create Conference, hosted on Champlain College’s scenic campus on May 21, 2015.

IMG_1953
Project Librarian Erenst Anip introducing Chronicling America to educators.

During our talk, we touched upon how to use Chronicling America, what kinds of resources are out there for educators, and also gave some examples of lessons using the Common Core standards.

Teachers were especially excited about the idea of performing local history research with students using the newspapers. One instructor, while testing out Chronicling America during our talk, found some amazing articles on the Lane Manufacturing Company in Montpelier, Vermont, in the Vermont Watchman–a company that he and his students had been researching.  By just doing a simple search, he found a number of relevant articles on the company and its history, which was great to see!

lane manufatucturing co
Image of the factory complex from an entire page of information regarding the company from The Vermont watchman., August 07, 1901.

VTDNP is grateful for having had the opportunity to present at this dynamic and high-energy conference! Thanks to Vita-Learn and the Vermont School Librarian Association and the VT Agency of Education for co-sponsoring this event.

DSC_0736
Karyn Norwood, digital support specialist, shows teachers how to use Chronicling America. Photograph by Erenst Anip.

In case you missed it, view and download the presentation below:

 

Visit our resources tab for Educators!

Recap: ‘Chronicling America for Librarians’ workshop at Midstate Regional Library

This past Friday, March 7, at 9:30 am, the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project  gave a workshop for librarians on how to use Chronicling America at the Midstate Regional Library in Berlin, VT.

Continue reading Recap: ‘Chronicling America for Librarians’ workshop at Midstate Regional Library

Announcing our Phase III Titles

We are pleased to announce our Phase III newspaper titles:

  • Orleans County Monitor (1913-1922)*

    brattlebororeformer
    The Semi-weekly Brattleboro Reformer was published between 1897 and 1901.
  • Rutland Weekly Herald  (1861-1873)*
  • Brattleboro Reformer family (1879-1922)
  • Londonderry Sifter (1884-1921)
  • Manchester Journal (1861-1922)
  • Herald and News (1888-1910) (West Randolph, Orange County)
  • Barre Daily Times (1903-1922)
  • Bellows Falls Times (1856-1903)

*- indicates a continuation of a previously digitized title run

The above titles will add at least another 100,000 pages of Vermont newspapers to Chronicling America; this work will be completed by the middle of summer 2016. By the end of this phase, an estimated total of 370,000 pages and 73 titles from Vermont newspapers will be available online, for free, and searchable worldwide.

bellowsfalltimesmasthead
The Bellows Falls Times was published between 1856 and 1903.

This remarkable amount of Vermont historic newspapers online would not be possible without the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library of Congress and our state partners: Ilsley Public Library, Vermont Historical Society, Vermont Department of Libraries, and the University of Vermont. We are indebted, too, to those involved in our Advisory Council and Project Management Group.

Some sneak peak article clippings from our Phase III titles:

hotelinrandolph
From the News and Herald, January 18, 1917

 

brattleborodailyreformersafetyfirst trolley
From the Brattleboro Daily Reformer, January 14, 1915

 

150 Years Ago, in the American Civil War: Lee surrenders to Grant

“When this cruel war is over,  praying then to meet again,” went the chorus of a popular Civil War song written by Henry Tucker in 1863. Those words encapsulated so much of what the war was to so many on the war front and at home: a seemingly endless period of waiting, worrying, and hoping. Yet the war in 1863 was only half over. The American Civil War stretched on and on, for four long, bloody years. The beginning of April 1865, though, 150 years ago, marked the Civil War’s decline with decisiveness.

Union victory seemed relatively assured after General Sherman’s March to the Sea in the autumn of 1864. By early 1865, the South did not have the numbers, nor the wealth or resources of the North, to sustain the rebellion much longer. Continue reading 150 Years Ago, in the American Civil War: Lee surrenders to Grant