ALL content from VTDNP Phase 2 are available online

Today, October 14, 2014, marks another milestone for our project. All of the digitized newspaper pages from phase 2 are now accessible on Chronicling America, all 254,253 of them along with 15 newspaper title essays (more to come!). The last batch consist of Orleans County Monitor issues from 1908-1922.

As part of the NDNP requirement, we will send all of the duplicate negative microfilm reels of the newspaper digitized to Library of Congress for preservation and safe keeping. Here’s what it looks like before it gets packed and shipped to LC’s vault:

Vtdnp phase 2 microfilm reelsNow, onward with phase 3 and adding more Vermont historic content to the Internet!

-Erenst Anip, Project Librarian

Reflections on the NDNP Annual Meeting

It was a busy week in Washington for Erenst and me at the ninth annual meeting of the National Digital Newspaper Program, September 15-18. The long days of meetings, discussions, and presentations seemed to fly by as we learned about what other state projects are doing and what’s new with our sponsors, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

My week started early on Monday with a “Beyond NDNP” pre-conference at the Willard Hotel. Attended by about fifty current and former (alumni) state project staffers from around the country, this day-and-a-half gathering was funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Its purpose was to see whether those who are digitizing newspapers outside of NDNP could agree on standards and protocols, as well as explore strategies for preservation and sustainability. There was a lively discussion of standards, page vs. article-level access, costs, and funding sources. Tuesday morning’s session (which Erenst attended) focused on sustainability. I learned a great deal and will attempt to share some of that knowledge in a future post. Meanwhile, Eden Robins from the Arizona project also wrote a blog post on “Beyond NDNP’ and more, with group photo!

Photo: Erenst & Jeff posed in front of the Madison Building after Day 2 of National Digital Newspaper Program Annual Conference. More photos and coverage coming soon!
Photo: Erenst & Jeff in front of the Madison Building after Day 2 of National Digital Newspaper Program Annual Conference.

Continue reading Reflections on the NDNP Annual Meeting →

Who designed the Wilbur Library at Vermont Academy?

wilbur_library_vtacad003Last week, a researcher working in Special Collections at the
University of Vermont asked for help identifying the architect who designed the beautiful stone library at Vermont Academy in Saxton’s River, Vermont. We turned to Chronicling America, hoping that a Vermont newspaper had announced the proposed project or
celebrated its completion. Continue reading Who designed the Wilbur Library at Vermont Academy? →

Researching historic buildings on Chronicling America

om fisher search
A detailed account of a local businessman’s new home in Montpelier, Vermont, on State Street. This was found by using the advanced search of keywords with any of the words “state” and “street” and the phrase “O.M. Fisher.” I did not limit the years, but did limit results to the state of Vermont.

Historic newspapers on Chronicling America hold an abundance of information regarding local and national news and cultural trends of the past. Newspapers are also particularly helpful in uncovering the history of the built landscape of our communities. Continue reading Researching historic buildings on Chronicling America →