Westborough: Your Town - Your History

FAIN: PY-234397-16

Town of Westborough (Westborough, MA 01581-1902)
Maureen Ambrosino (Project Director: June 2015 to August 2017)

A day-long digitization event preserving historical documents held by community members and related to the town of Westborough, Massachusetts. The event would build on the recent discovery of a trove of documents dating to before the Revolution. Those documents and the story of their discovery and preservation would be featured in a showcase program for the public before the digitization day. The digitization event would be staffed by consultants from BiblioTemps, a service of the Massachusetts Library System; consultants would advise on copyright and digitization best practices. Following the digitization day would be the screening of a film of the event that would include a presentation by a local historian on the significance of the digitized items, as well as testimonials from members of the public about their materials. After the digitization event, the applicants would also create an online exhibit featuring the digitized items. The digitization day and subsequent programming would be timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Westborough in 2017.

A collection of historic documents recently discovered in Town Hall has given the Westborough Public Library the opportunity to reinvent its local history services and become an “Access Hub” to historic materials held by other institutions and individuals in town. To build these services, the Library will use a Common Heritage Grant to create programming using the theme “Your Town – Your History,” to show the links between the discovered documents and the history that residents are creating now. We'll ask residents to look through their homes for historic materials about Westborough and bring them to a daylong event where they can be digitized. The images will then be added to the Library’s new Digital Repository. At a follow-up program, an historian of New England life will discuss how the images collected on that day add to our understanding of Westborough’s history, and we'll debut a film and online exhibit created as part of the event.

Associated Products

Westborough Library Gets Grant for 'Digitization Day' (Article)
Title: Westborough Library Gets Grant for 'Digitization Day'
Author: Charlene Arsenault
Abstract: The National Endowment for the Humanities announced the recipients of its inaugural “Common Heritage” grants, and the Westborough Public Library is among the awardees. Thirty-eight grants were awarded by the NEH, and the Westborough Public Library was one of three organizations in Massachusetts, and one of only six public libraries across the country to be awarded this grant.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://patch.com/massachusetts/westborough/westborough-library-gets-grant-digitization-day-0
Primary URL Description: Westborough Patch
Access Model: Open access
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Westborough Patch
Publisher: Patch Media

The Westborough Archive (Web Resource)
Title: The Westborough Archive
Author: Anthony Vaver
Abstract: Westborough's source for local history. The site contains links to an in-house digital repository, a blog about town history, finding aids for physical items, and links to videos about Westborough.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://www.westborougharchive.org/
Primary URL Description: The Westborough Archive.

Westborough to host history scanning day (Article)
Title: Westborough to host history scanning day
Author: Jane Keller Gordon
Abstract: Announcement of the library's NEH-funded project, with background information on how the idea was conceived. Includes photos of staff and historical items.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://www.communityadvocate.com/2017/01/08/westborough-to-host-history-scanning-day/
Primary URL Description: Link to the January 2017 article about the event.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Newspaper
Periodical Title: The Community Advocate
Publisher: Community Advocate

Library's history scanning day a great success (Article)
Title: Library's history scanning day a great success
Author: Anthony Vaver
Abstract: Recap and photos of the Westborough: Your Town - Your History" event. The article was featured at the top of the front page of the February 17, 2017 issue of the paper, with photos on Page A2.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://westborough.wickedlocal.com
Primary URL Description: Home page for the Westborough News. The article is not available in their online archive.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Newspaper
Periodical Title: The Westborough News
Publisher: The Westborough News

Westborough Digital Repository (Web Resource)
Title: Westborough Digital Repository
Author: Anthony Vaver
Abstract: The Westborough Public Library’s digital repository of photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://repository.westborougharchive.org
Primary URL Description: The Westborough Public Library’s digital repository of photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more.
Secondary URL: http://repository.westborougharchive.org/collections/show/6
Secondary URL Description: Digital exhibit of the items scanned at the Westborough Public Library's "Westborough: Your Town-Your History" event in February 2017.

Westborough History Catalog (Web Resource)
Title: Westborough History Catalog
Author: Anthony Vaver
Abstract: A catalog of the Westborough Public Library's collections of family genealogies, town reports, maps, photographs, and other materials of local historical and genealogical interest. It also includes a collection of historic town documents, some dating back to the early 1700’s.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://chc.library.umass.edu/westborough-public/
Primary URL Description: A catalog of the Westborough Public Library's collections of family genealogies, town reports, maps, photographs, and other materials of local historical and genealogical interest. It also includes a collection of historic town documents, some dating back to the early 1700’s.

Westborough: Your Town Your History scanning day exhibit (Web Resource)
Title: Westborough: Your Town Your History scanning day exhibit
Author: Anthony Vaver
Abstract: On February 4, 2017, the Westborough Public Library asked Westborough residents to bring in historical and cultural items relating to our town for the library to scan and digitize at its "Westborough: Your Town - Your History" Scanning Day. People brought in photographs, documents, uniforms, posters, and other items from their homes that they thought captured the spirit of our town. After the library digitized these items, the people went home with their possessions, digital copies of them, and advice on how to store and preserve their valuable historical objects. This exhibit highlights the major themes that emerged from this special day.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://repository.westborougharchive.org/exhibits/show/scanningday2017
Primary URL Description: Online exhibit of the images that were contributed to the "Westborough: Your Town-Your History" scanning day event in February 2017.

Westborough: Your Town - Your History Scanning Day items in the Digital Commonwealth (Web Resource)
Title: Westborough: Your Town - Your History Scanning Day items in the Digital Commonwealth
Author: Anthony Vaver
Author: Digital Commonwealth
Abstract: The collection of images from the Westborough event, which are now a collection in the Massachusetts state repository, Digital Commonwealth.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections/commonwealth:z029px26k
Primary URL Description: Westborough images in the Digital Commonwealth.

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