The Chesaning Area Historical Society is pleased to announce the start of a new initiative that will help ensure the future preservation of our local history.
The Chesaning Area Historical Society was founded in late 1983, after library volunteer Nancy Krause became concerned that severe flooding near the Chesaning Public Library posed a danger to the many historical materials that were being stored there. This led to the eventual establishment of the Chesaning Area Historical Museum, which continues to serve as a repository for important records such as photographs, documents, and similar items that have been donated to us by members of the local community.
Advances in technology over these last forty years mean that we now have a viable method of preserving this historical content through the creation of a digital archive. The museum now has a humble-yet-capable computer work station that will allow us to create high-quality digital scans of many of the items in our collection.
These digital copies can then be stored on a computer hard drive, or uploaded to an online cloud storage provider. The original photograph can then be returned to it’s proper location, and even in the event that it somehow becomes damaged or destroyed, the digital copy will remain safe.
Another significant benefit is that digital files are easy to duplicate and distribute. They can be sent through email or be made available to download online, allowing the museum to share these materials with our patrons and other members of the community that we serve.
We are also able to record important details in the form of image metadata. This is information that can be permanently embedded within the digital file itself. Metadata can include details such as a lengthy description of the photograph, a list of persons that appear in the photograph, as well as the exact date and location where the photograph was taken.
This can include face tagging data, so that each person in the photograph is labeled with their name in order to avoid confusion about exactly who is who in group settings.
Metadata embedded within digital files can be read by computer, making it possible to scan our entire digital archive for a specific reference. This means we can find photos and other documents that mention a certain person, that were taken a certain year, show a certain location, etc. This will make it so much easier for us gather information when researching a topic, allowing us to more quickly respond to public requests for information.
We are still only in the earliest phase of this project. It will take many years of hard work before it is anywhere near being completed, but we plan to provide our supporters with regular updates on our progress.
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If you’d like to help cover the cost of this project, you can go HERE to make an online donation to the Chesaning Area Historical, or use the donate link at the top of this page.