This scan of the Exeter Times dates back to 1873 | You can browse their newspaper archive by town at pubdocs.huroncounty.ca
Historical records document the bedrock of our community – from newspapers, to advertisements, photographs, films, maps, censuses and more, the records of the Huron County Museum have been aiding researchers and local historians for decades, and now it’s at the tip of your fingers, on their website.
Over the past ten years, the county’s digitization project has worked to preserve local history, and make it more accessible to people from all over the world, and they’re set to conclude their efforts this coming March.
Jacob Smith, Digitization Coordinator emphasized that digitization eliminates geographical barriers, allowing researchers worldwide to explore the county’s history remotely.
Smith says that he spends his days preserving historical documents digitally | Photo provided
The process also contributes to the preservation of delicate records by reducing handling, with Smith citing examples such as census records dating back to 1848 and historical diaries that are extremely fragile.
As the project evolved, the County’s IT department played a crucial role in enhancing the online platform’s user-friendliness. Acknowledging the dynamic nature of the project, Smith mentioned the incorporation of YouTube for film archives, further diversifying the digital collection.
With the museum’s vast collection far larger than any archivist could digitize over the course of the project, criteria for selecting materials to be digitized was based on popularity, and fragility.
Additionally, the county purchased a special oversized scanner for documents that were too large for a conventional scanner.
The public response to the digitized collections has been overwhelmingly positive.
Notably, the project received recognition through the OLA Archival and Preservation Achievement Award in 2022. Smith also mentioned collaboration with other counties, with Haliburton seeking advice on digitizing newspapers.
As the project concludes, the public can anticipate a wealth of new additions, including census records dating back to 1848, CKNX films from the 1970’s on YouTube, digitized newspapers from various townships, and a trove of World War II photographs.
The completion of the project marks a significant achievement for Huron County, ensuring the preservation and accessibility of its historical legacy for generations to come.
Written by: B. Shakyaver