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Tag: Chronicling America

Old Newspapers
Searching old newspapers is easier thanks to Gordon

Searching old newspapers is easier thanks to Gordon

Meet Gordon Russ. He won the Washington State Digital Archives’ 200 million contest, making the closest guess of December 5th for the day Digital Archives would make its 200 millionth entry into its database. There was no science behind this guess. He picked it simply because of the fact that it was his birthday. Gordon took home an Ancestry DNA kit, a fitting gift for the history buff.  Gordon is a volunteer at the Washington State Library. Retired in 2003,…

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Special Edition! Washington Digital Newspapers website is ready for the oldest & newest news!

Special Edition! Washington Digital Newspapers website is ready for the oldest & newest news!

From the desk of Shawn Schollmeyer The latest “news” on the newspaper collections is the merging of two existing collections into a new one called “Washington Digital Newspapers,” (WDN) which will give the public easier, full-text search access to these historic newspapers (move over, Google!). You can now browse titles, view by calendar date or pick a location from a map to search the issues here. The collection currently includes more than 45 titles and over 306,000 newspaper pages. Now it’s…

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State Library’s digital newspaper webpage revamped

State Library’s digital newspaper webpage revamped

A collection of bookmarks for Washington Digital Newspapers. (Images courtesy of Shawn Schollmeyer) Many history and newspaper buffs and students are fans of the State Library’s digital newspaper collections, which feature digitized versions of many Washington newspapers whose editions were published more than a century ago. The latest “news” on the newspaper collections is the merging of two existing collections into a new one called “Washington Digital Newspapers,” which will give the public easier, full-text search (move over, Google!) access…

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Fashion Forward in Early Washington

Fashion Forward in Early Washington

If you are like many of us here at the State Library, you are waiting in breathless anticipation for the debut of Season 6 of Downton Abbey.   While the wait is almost over (January 3rd) it got me thinking about why we love it so much.  I’m not sure about the rest of you but for me the costumes are a large part of the enjoyment.  As the show has taken place over several decades we’ve seen those fashions…

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‘Chronicling’ America reaches 10 million pages

‘Chronicling’ America reaches 10 million pages

Front page of Seattle P-I’s Jan. 3, 1897, edition. (Image courtesy Washington State Library) Chronicling America, a free, online searchable database of historic U.S. newspapers, recently reached a milestone by posting its 10 millionth page. Of that total, 306,000 pages are newspaper contributions from Washington state. Launched by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2007, Chronicling America provides permanent access to historically significant newspapers published in the U.S. between 1836 and 1922. It is…

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Horrible Murder!! – The Case of the Aged Bride

Horrible Murder!! – The Case of the Aged Bride

From the desk of Marlys Rudeen I will admit to a weakness for a murder mystery – but one from the early 1920’s with shady characters, a missing trunk, divers in Lake Union, forgery, fraud and general unsavoriness?  Well, that’s irresistible.  And all done up in purple prose by the Seattle Star?  Even better! Feel free to follow the story yourself by looking at the Seattle Star in Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093407/issues/1921/).  I’ve listed the dates and pages below. May 25,…

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Oly-based WA Standard added to historic newspaper collection

Oly-based WA Standard added to historic newspaper collection

The front page of Dec. 24, 1920, edition of the Washington Standard. (Images courtesy Washington State Library) Ever wonder what was newsworthy in Olympia way back in Washington’s territorial days? Now you can find out thanks to the Washington State Library’s latest addition to the popular Chronicling America program. The State Library has finished digitizing more than 60 years’ worth of one of Washington’s earliest territorial newspapers, the Olympia-based Washington Standard. The collection ranges from 1860 (the year before the…

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Historic issues of Seattle P-I now available on Chronicling America

Historic issues of Seattle P-I now available on Chronicling America

Before its print demise in 2009, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was one of the state’s oldest, most-read and influential newspapers. Fans of the legendary newspaper, as well as history buffs and genealogists, will be excited to know that the P-I is among the latest titles the Library of Congress is loading to Chronicling America. Originally established as the Seattle Gazette in 1863, the P-I  is perhaps Seattle’s oldest continually operating business. Early issues of the Daily Intelligencer (1876-1881) and the Seattle…

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Newspaper Discussion: Preservation and Access Issues

Newspaper Discussion: Preservation and Access Issues

From the desk of NDNP Coordinator, Shawn Schollmeyer:  In our NDNP Office located in the basement of Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington we share this insight into the world of newspaper digitization and preservation by guest writer Casey Lansinger. Casey participated as an intern in our program and will be graduating with an MLIS in June 2013. In July of 2012, I left my sunny and dry hometown of Denver, CO for wet and green Seattle. I  suddenly…

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More titles added to digital newspaper project

More titles added to digital newspaper project

Good news for genealogists and history buffs: There are more historic Washington newspapers to peruse on your computer! The State Library just announced that the Library of Congress has uploaded another batch of long-awaited newspaper titles for the National Digital Newspaper Program. Many historic newspapers from Washington and other states can be seen on the Chronicling America website. The newest titles added are: Aberdeen Herald, 1890-1917; Columbia Courier, Kennewick, 1902-1905; Evening Statesman, Walla Walla, 1903-1910; Newport Miner, 1899-1922; Washington State…

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