Avalon History Center Digitizes Historic Papers

Posted February 1st 2022

The Avalon History Center continues digitization efforts with its most recent addition, a collection of local newspapers with the oldest going back to 1890, now available to read online.

Staff at the center takes care when handling artifacts, but some damage is inevitable. Therefore, the use of digital files is important as it saves the original documents from unnecessary handling that could damage them.

“Museums still need traditional climate-controlled storage to preserve physical objects, but digital storage provides us with new opportunities for research and community engagement,” says Jonathan Gibson, the center’s digital collections coordinator. “The greatest benefit of our digitization project is that it allows us to make historic materials available online for other people to explore and enjoy.”

Given the technological abilities of the world around us, the Avalon History Center has been able to use these digital files to help visitors learn the rich history of the island even though they might not be able to visit the history center in person. Whether you’re down the street or across the country, you can learn more about your favorite little beach town right from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

The center currently has six publications available for reading online at avalon.advantage-preservation.com

Don’t forget to visit avalonhistorycenter.org for more information about the Avalon History Center and to view its online exhibits.