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We’re Looking for AV Materials to Digitize

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moving images news

Charlie Barnet and his Gospel Stars, Shared by UNC-Charlotte's Atkins Library.

Charlie Barnet and his Gospel Stars, Shared by UNC-Charlotte’s Atkins Library.

Does your organization have audiovisual materials you’d like to digitize and share online? The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is looking for nominations of film, video, and audio materials to digitize and add to DigitalNC.org’s Sights and Sounds collection.

If you’re part of a cultural heritage organization and have audiovisual materials you’d like digitized, let us know. The Center will evaluate all of the nominations (see evaluation criteria below) in an effort to select a variety of content in different formats and which represents the cultural and geographic diversity of North Carolina.

Nominating items is easy! Email us at digitalnc@unc.edu with a description of the items you have. Please include the following:

  • number of items
  • types of formats represented
  • what the items contain, to the best of your knowledge

Deadline for nominations is April 14, 2016. We’re  happy to answer questions if you’d like more information, by emailing us at the address above or calling (919) 962-4836.

Selection Criteria for Audiovisual Digitization

  • Is the film, video, or tape believed to be unique to your collection, or are there copies at other institutions?
  • Do you have equipment available to play the media you’re nominating?
  • Is the media believed to be at least 40 years old?
  • Are you willing to have the media sent to a vendor to be digitized?
  • Is there a catalog record or anything describing the content of the media?
  • Does the media cover a time period of historical significance?  (For example: Civil War, Great Depression, World War II).
  • Was the media created by, or does it contain significant content by or about one of North Carolina’s historically underrepresented communities?
  • Is the media from a county or region that is already represented on DigitalNC.org or other digital library projects?
  • Is there a demonstrated demand for online access to the media?  If so, are there examples, such as requests from users or community members?
  • If this media is digitized, is the contributing institution willing to promote the media through press releases and other announcements or programs?

Mills, Houses, Barns and More: Photographs of Early Architecture in Rockingham County now Available

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photos

Corn Crib at Locust Point, 1980

Corn Crib at Locust Point, 1980

Rockingham Community College has shared part of a unique collection of slides that document early architecture in Rockingham County. There are large plantation houses as well as kitchens, barns, and other small buildings found on homesteads. Most of these slides are exterior views of buildings, but interiors and shots of specific architectural details seem to have been taken when the opportunity presented itself. Some of the buildings are still standing and have even been renovated, like the Spray Mercantile Building (before, after). Others have been demolished, making these images both poignant and valuable for research. Family names and locations are included for many as well.

We’d like to share the description from Rockingham Community College’s website about the creators, origin, and extent of this collection:

This collection developed from an interest in the early architecture of Rockingham County, North Carolina by Reidsville native Siler Rothrock, who had grown up working in his family’s building supply business.  While completing his master’s degree, he engaged in the antique and refinishing business.  Developing an interest in local architecture, he enrolled in the fall of 1978 in Dr. Lindley Butler’s local history class at Rockingham Community College where he met local historian Bob Carter.  They agreed to travel the rural sections of the county and photograph the early houses still standing.  From 1978 until 1986 they photographed most of the pre-Civil War structures in the county.  Bob Carter did the deed research and interviews to identify the builders and occupants of the houses.  With this background in architecture, Siler Rothrock established his own construction firm specializing in old home restoration.  He has since developed a statewide reputation in the restoration field.

We hope to share additional slides from this collection during the new year. If you’re interested in Rockingham County history, definitely check out the Rockingham County Legacy exhibit. You can view other items shared specifically by Rockingham Community College on their contributor page.

Aiken Pratt House, Exterior View, 1981

Aiken Pratt House, Exterior View, 1981

Only Known Surviving Copies of Franklin Press Newspapers from 1936 now on DigitalNC

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newspapers

August 27, 1936 issue of The Franklin Press and Highlands Maconian, page 1

August 27, 1936 issue of The Franklin Press and Highlands Maconian, page 1

Earlier this year, the Highlands Historical Society approached us and asked us if we’d like to help “fill in” a year of The Franklin Press and Highlands Maconian newspaper. Most of this paper is available on microfilm that was created by one of our favorite partners, the State Archives of North Carolina; in fact, we had digitized 1924-1942 (excepting 1936) with the help of the Fontana Regional Library. The Highlands Historical Society came to us with a bound volume of the missing year, a volume full of print copies they’d never seen elsewhere. These have been added to DigitalNC.

In 1936, the U.S. waited to see the fate of the man who had kidnapped and murdered Charles Lindbergh’s child. Franklin Roosevelt was reelected. The summer Olympics were held in Berlin, under the eye of then Chancellor Adolf Hitler. All of these were covered by the Press, right next to local news of Macon County. We especially like “Interesting Places in Macon County,” a regular column by Mrs. T. C. Harbison that talks about local landmarks. An issue with this column is shown at right, talking about Whiteside Mountain.

You can browse all issues of The Franklin Press and Highlands Maconian in our Newspapers collection. We’ve also helped the Highlands Historical Society share a number of yearbooks and local newspapers online, which you can see and search through their contributor page.

Alamance and Guilford County High School Yearbooks from the Mid-1960s Just Added to DigitalNC

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yearbooks

Photo from the 1965 Yell-O-Jack YearbookHere at DigitalNC, we digitize high school yearbooks that are at least 50 years old. We’re pleased to have added yearbooks from our long-time partner, Alamance County Public Libraries, filling in books from the mid-1960s that are now out of our “embargo” period:

  • Eastern Alamance High School, 1965
  • Gibsonville High School, 1965
  • Southern Alamance High School, 1963-1965
  • Western Alamance High School, 1963-1965
  • Williams High School, 1965

These are the first books on our site from Western Alamance High School, which opened for the 1962-1963 school year. You can view all of the yearbooks that Alamance County Public Libraries has shared on DigitalNC via their contributor page.

Newspapers Selected for Digitization, 2015

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news newspapers

The following microfilmed newspapers have been selected for digitization in 2015. Almost 90 reels were chosen from over 600 nominated reels, according to our Criteria for Selecting Newspapers to Digitize from Microfilm.

Title Years Nominating Institution
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.) 1985-1992 Rourk Branch Library
Jackson County Journal (Sylva, N.C.) 1921-1943 Jackson County Public Library
The Journal-Patriot (North Wilkesboro, N.C.)  1933-1947 Wilkes County Public Library
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.) 1937-1954 Mauney Memorial Library
Polk County News (Tryon, N.C.)  1923-1926 Polk County Public Libraries
The Sylva Herald and Ruralite (Sylva, N.C.) 1943-1950 Jackson County Public Library
Trench and Camp (Charlotte, N.C.) 1917-1918 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.) 1929-1970 Warren County Memorial Library
Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) 1923-1950 Watauga County Public Library
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1974-1996 Forsyth County Public Library

Have Scans, Will Travel? Hosting Your Scans at DigitalNC

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behind the scenes howto

Moving Truck Transferring Family Possessions, from the Gaston County Museum of Art & History

Moving Truck Transferring Family Possessions, from the Gaston County Museum of Art & History

The Digital Heritage Center does a lot of scanning on some really versatile machines. It’s one of the practical sides to our mission, and we take pride in being able to provide that service.

What is perhaps less well known is that we also help cultural heritage institutions publish items they’ve scanned themselves. Many cultural heritage institutions have flatbed or book scanners as well as willing staff and volunteers, but lack the technical infrastructure to host those scans for the public.

We’ve helped institutions …

  • who needed to migrate from ailing databases or systems they can no longer support,
  • who wanted to be able to full-text search their materials, a function they couldn’t fulfill through their current website,
  • who offered their digital files to on-site users, but who were seeking a broader audience.

When we start this conversation, here are some of the questions we ask:

  • Tell us about the original physical objects* – does your institution still have them? are there any rights or privacy concerns to sharing these online? what kind of subject matter is represented?
  • Tell us about the digital files – who originally created them? how many are there? where do they live? what file types? how are they organized? is this an ongoing project? do you have any metadata already?

If the files are a good fit for DigitalNC, they get transferred to hard drives, metadata is created or amended, and items appear on the site alongside the scans we create here at the Center. If you work at a cultural heritage institution eligible to work with the Center, have or are currently creating scans, and are interested in adding these to DigitalNC, contact us. We may be able to give them a home.

* If there were any. We can help with born-digital items as well.

Newspapers from Beaufort and Morehead City, 1920s-1940s, now on DigitalNC

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newspapers

This front page of the July 20, 1939 issue of The Beaufort News announces the first annual Coastal Festival.

This front page of the July 20, 1939 issue of The Beaufort News announces the first annual Coastal Festival.

Thanks to nominations from the Carteret County Public Libraries, we’ve extended our community newspaper coverage in southeast North Carolina and the Inner Banks with two new titles:

These two titles feature news that’s particular to coastal communities. There is special emphasis on weather and its impact on travel, events, and maritime businesses. However you’ll also find news typical to community papers regardless of location: the impact of state government on local life, personal and business news, school events, and advertisements. Towns covered include not only Morehead City and Beaufort, but also much smaller communities like Newport, Wire Grass, Merrimon, Otway, Harlowe, Core Creek, North River, Davis, Harkers Island, Lenoxville, Lola, Russell’s Creek, Lenoxville, and more. We’ve especially enjoyed news items and advertisements related to Ocracoke Island, Hatteras, and other remote areas of the Outer Banks.

These papers really increase the representation of eastern North Carolina on DigitalNC. To view more papers from points east (or elsewhere), head over to our Newspapers collection page.

 

The Perquimans Weekly, 1934-1977, Devoted to the Upbuilding of Hertford and Perquimans County

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newspapers

We’ve worked with a new partner, Perquimans County Library (part of the Pettigrew Regional Library), to share over 40 years’ worth of The Perquimans Weekly newspaper online. Published out of Hertford, N.C., The Perquimans Weekly includes news from Hertford, Belvidere, New Hope, Winfall and other local towns. Issues from 1934-1977 are now DigitalNC.

Interesting issues that caught our eye include the August 26, 1938 issue, which describes the opening of a bridge spanning Albemarle Sound. There was a huge parade and celebration of “new activity, new life, new contacts” brought by the bridge.

Headline from August 26, 1938 issue of The Perquimans Weekly

Headline from August 26, 1938 issue of The Perquimans Weekly

We also saw a few articles recognizing Perquimans native and Major League baseball player Jim “Catfish” Hunter, like one from October 26, 1972 covering Jimmy Hunter Day.

The ongoing restoration of the Newbold-White House, which dates from 1730 and is one of the oldest historic houses in North Carolina still standing, was a multi-year project that involved fundraising and promotion. In the Weekly, we found articles describing the house’s nomination for the National Register, the local Restoration Association’s successful drive to fund its restoration, and ongoing coverage of the restoration work, including the making of the shingles.

Excerpt from the November 28, 1974 issue of The Perquimans Weekly

Excerpt from the November 28, 1974 issue of The Perquimans Weekly

This is the first community paper nominated from the far northeast corner of the state and we hope to hear from more institutions in that area. You can search The Perquimans Weekly together with many other titles on our Newspapers collection page.

From The Twig to Meredith Herald, Meredith College’s Student Newspaper is Now On DigitalNC

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campuspublications newspapers

Headline from the October 23, 1939 issue of The Twig

Headline from the October 23, 1939 issue of The Twig

Issues of Meredith College’s student newspaper from 1921-2009 have been added to DigitalNC. This is just in time for Meredith’s 125th anniversary, which the college is celebrating over the 2015-2016 school year.

Meredith is a women’s college located in Raleigh, with a student body of around 2,000. The school’s student newspaper began in April 1921 as The Twig. In January 1986, the paper changed to the Meredith Herald, its current title, in an effort to remake it to “more professional reporting and looking paper.”

“Stunt,” “Palio,” “Corn huskin'” – as we were processing this newspaper we kept coming across the strangest terms making big headlines. It turns out that longstanding traditions with names like these are a hallmark of Meredith College, and it’s interesting to see how many started in the school’s earliest days. “Stunt” has been ongoing since 1915, and mention is made in the October 1921 issue of the paper. The first Palio, which eventually became “Corn Huskin'” can be found on the “Stuntsville Starter” page of The Twig, September 28, 1935. The page below, from October 27, 1934, shows that Stunt Day activities included Tree Planting, Bicycle Racing and, of course, the Stunts.

Extra Issue of The Twig, October 27, 1934

Extra Issue of The Twig, October 27, 1934

We worked with Meredith College to bring these issues, digitized awhile ago by an outside vendor, to DigitalNC.org. Over the next few months, we hope to fill in the missing gaps, to present a more complete run online.

You can view Meredith College yearbooks and newspapers through their contributor page, and find out more about Meredith College’s Archives on their website.

More Issues of The Carolina Times, Durham Newspaper, Just Added to DigitalNC

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newspapers underrepresented

November 10, 1973 issue of The Carolina Times

November 10, 1973 issue of The Carolina Times

One of the more frequently used newspapers on our site is The Carolina Times, a weekly newspaper from Durham. We recently added more issues, covering the years 1973-1982.

As mentioned in earlier posts, The Carolina Times was edited and published by Louis Austin. The paper covered and addressed issues most pressing to the African American community in Durham, with local news as well as national coverage.

This title was suggested for digitization by the Durham County Library. You can view other items digitized for the Library on DigitalNC, and also check out their own rich online collections.

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This blog is maintained by the staff of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and features the latest news and highlights from the collections at DigitalNC, an online library of primary sources from organizations across North Carolina.

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