The rich and varied history of the Okanagan Valley will be easier to discover thanks to a project launched by in partnership with various regional organizations.
A private British Columbia-based foundation has donated more than $94,000 to help UBC launch the Okanagan Region Historical Digitization Project.
The goal91裸聊视频攚hich will result in the digitization of thousands of photographs and textual documents held in archives and museums throughout the Okanagan Valley91裸聊视频� is to make these important local historical resources more broadly accessible to the public, says Paige Hohmann, UBC archivist and special collections librarian.
91裸聊视频淣ot only will we be making this material more readily available, but we will also be rescuing a lot of material from obscurity and opening a window into events that helped shape the history of this region,91裸聊视频� says Hohmann.
Hohmann, along with UBC graduate co-op student Alexandra Neijens and three other students are travelling to municipal museums, volunteer organizations and privately-operated historical sites throughout the Okanagan to digitize material that has been pre-selected by museum staff. Once the project is complete, this material will be accessible online around the clock.
91裸聊视频淏efore digitization, if someone wanted to see specific material in a small regional museum, they likely needed to visit that museum. Many such repositories are managed by part-time staff and may have restricted hours,91裸聊视频� says UBC91裸聊视频檚 university archivist Chris Hives.
91裸聊视频淭his project provides an unprecedented level of access, largely removing the spatial and time constraints associated with locating and then travelling to where this material lives.91裸聊视频�
Although there is an increased demand for access to historical information, the cost of digitization, preservation and storage can be a barrier for smaller organizations with limited budgets, explains Hives. This project offers additional expertise and equipment, which could be otherwise unavailable to many of these small museums and archives.
91裸聊视频淚 am honoured that UBC Okanagan can play a coordinating role, promoting the wonderful resources held, and work being done, in some of our region91裸聊视频檚 most interesting and important locations, 91裸聊视频漵ays UBC Okanagan Chief Librarian Heather Berringer. 91裸聊视频淚 hope this will encourage people, whether visitors or local to the area, to further explore the historical treasures of the Okanagan.91裸聊视频�
To date, the project team has visited museums in Peachland and Summerland, as well as the Historic O91裸聊视频橩eefe Ranch. Further summer visits will include sites in Armstrong-Spallumcheen, Keremeos, Osoyoos, Naramata, Sicamous and Lumby.
The project91裸聊视频檚 digitized collections will be freely available online early this fall.
