In the face of extreme weather events due to climate change, many of our partners have faced natural disasters, including floods and derechos right here in our hometown. Libraries, museums, and cultural institutions across the country have taken note, and have learned that creating a comprehensive disaster recovery plan is essential. However, the difference between […]
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly a rich source of information for genealogists. They often provide vital details about the deceased, including their full name, date of birth, date of death, and often, the names of their relatives. However, […]
Search (The Community History Archives) Using Deliberately Misspelled Words
Most online newspaper researchers do not recognize that when searching for a word, a term, a name, etc., that they essentially are searching against a database that has been built based on whether a very small section of a newspaper is black or white. It is the formation of these dots that may look like […]
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly a rich source of information for genealogists. They often provide vital details about the deceased, including their full name, date of birth, date of death, and often, the names of their relatives. However, […]
Guest Blog Series: Use Nicknames in Newspaper Research
In many genealogically related documents (especially newspapers and census records), nicknames were frequently used, as those names were more often used than the “formal” given name of the person. Your search index database is not smart enough, for example, to interpret ‘Sadie” for the formal given name of “Sarah”. Thus, you will need to use both names separately in […]
Guest Blog Series: Find Better Genealogy Results With Abbreviations
Kenneth R. Marks is the founder of The Ancestor Hunt, a comprehensive resource dedicated to assisting individuals in the exploration and discovery of their ancestry and family history. With a passion for genealogy that shines through his meticulous work, Marks has transformed The Ancestor Hunt into a cornerstone for amateur and experienced genealogists. We are […]
Historical Resource Development Program Grants (HRDP)
HRDP Grants Iowa is a state rich in history. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA) recognizes the importance of preserving and promoting that history through its Historical Resource Development Program (HRDP). The program provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and individuals who are dedicated to preserving and promoting Iowa’s historical resources. The […]
Funding: Get Creative!
Funding is a challenge for many organizations. I have put together a list of some creative ideas on how you can find funding for your organization. Crowdfunding: Platforms like GoFundMe and Kickstarter allow non-profits to raise funds through social media by promoting their cause to a large audience. GoFundMe is a popular crowdfunding platform that […]
Our Core Values: Community, Partnership, Engagement
Advantage Archives has three core values: Community, Partnership, and Engagement Community. It’s often thought of as a geographical location, but a community is any group of individuals that share a common thread. So if you live in a gated area, that’s a community, and if you’re a Vikings fan (SKOL), that’s a community, and if […]
Let’s Talk About Copyright: Do The Right Thing
Let’s Talk About Copyright: Do The Right Thing When embarking upon a digitization project, careful consideration must be given to how you intend to provide access and what you can and cannot do under U.S. Copyright laws. You need to consider whether the publications are subject to copyright, whether you have permission to use the […]
Rural and Small Libraries are the Foundation of American Libraries
Did you know… Rural and small libraries serve 1 in 4 Americans. There are 16,000 public libraries in the USA, and 4,000 of them are considered “rural library systems.” 1/4 of rural Americans don’t have access to internet greater than 25 Mbps, these communities rely on their library system’s internet connection. Computers with internet were […]
The Article That Fueled The Black Wall Street Massacre was Ripped from History
In May of 1921, a young Black shoeshiner named “Diamond” Dick Rowland was involved in an “incident” involving Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white elevator operator at the Drexel Building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rowland had gone to the Drexel to use the top-floor ‘colored’ restroom, which his employer had arranged for use by his Black employees. […]
National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Opportunity
NEH Humanities Collections And Reference Resources Grants – Applications Due July 19th Grants support projects to create intellectual access to collections of rare books, manuscript and archival materials, born-digital records, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture. Projects may address the holdings or activities of a single institution or […]
Preservation Is Every Bit As Important As Access
Preservation Is Every Bit As Important As Access Digitizing your microfilm holdings and other documents of historical interest will unlock history by bringing it out of the drawer and putting it at your fingertips. However, access is only ½ the equation. Before you embark on a digitization project, you need to evaluate the risk […]
Historical Newspaper Research
There is a lot to learn from old newspapers if you know what you are looking for. Before the advent of the Internet, it was newspapers that were relied on most for information. Now, many old newspapers have been digitized and made available online as a resource for historians, genealogists and writers among others. With […]
Making Old Newspapers Searchable: The Beginning
The newspaper industry in the United States has evolved considerably over the last 300 years. Each development in the typesetting methods, printing process, and paper stock created unique challenges in adapting the digital image of old newspapers to a searchable format. Digitization Of Historical Newspapers & OCR (Optical Character Recognition) “What history buffs want is […]
