BOONE—University Archives and Records, part of Appalachian State University’s Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons has received a 2007-08 N.C. ECHO Digitization Grant.

The $38,100 award will be used to digitize 3,120 of Appalachian’s historical photographs. The grant will fund computers, scanning equipment, furniture and staff needed to complete the project.

North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) grants are administered through the North Carolina State Library and are supported by the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). They provide funds for collaborative digitization projects among the state’s libraries and partner cultural institutions to create online resources for the use of the public.
An anticipated second year of funding will be used to add 4,000 more photographs to a searchable database that will be made available to the public through the library’s Web site.

This 1906 image shows faculty members in Appalachian Training School, a predecessor to Appalachian State University that operated from 1903-1925. It’s one of many photographs being digitized through an N.C. ECHO Digitization Grant awarded to the University Archives at Belk Library and Information Commons. Pictured are (back row, left), Dauphin Disco Dougherty, D.W. Read, Charles M. Dickson and Blanford Barnard Dougherty. Pictured on the front row are Augustus Masters, left, and W.J. White.

“We are thrilled that the University Archives received this crucial funding because the digitization makes the photographic history of Appalachian State University available to our alumni, faculty, current students, and researchers and citizens in North Carolina and beyond,” said Dr. Mary Reichel, university librarian. “More than 7,000 photographs in the archives dating from 1903 to the 1980s show student life, significant events, and the progression of Appalachian’s history from a normal school to the great university it is today.”

The project is the first step in University Archives’ plan to develop a comprehensive online digital collection of photographs pertaining to the history of the university from 1903 to the early 1980s.The image subjects include but are not limited to: buildings, events, administrators, faculty and staff, student life, academic departments, athletics, performing arts, alumni, and the local area.

The completed project will include an online searchable database for patrons to have access to the images, an Appalachian history timeline, an interactive map of historical and current campus buildings, and links to K-12 resources for teachers.

Some images already are available at http://contentdm.library.appstate.edu/index.html by selecting “Appalachian State University Historical Photographs.”

Metadata archivist Amy Shope is researching each image and providing identifying information. However, since many of the photos are currently unidentifiable, the project Web page allows users to comment on the images, and hopefully, improve their description.

LSTA funds originate from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to expand learning resources and access to information. For more information about the federal IMLS/LSTA grants, visit www.imls.gov.
For more information about N.C. ECHO, visit www.ncecho.org/.

For more information about the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Digitization Project, contact Pam Mitchem at pricemtchemp@appstate.edu or (828) 262-7422.