St. Catharines Standard, November 2009
by Karena Walter, Standard Staff
Thousands of Niagara artifacts from the War of 1812-era are being scanned and photographed to create a unique one-stop online shop for researchers and history buffs.
Brock University is leading the project that will have objects like newspapers, diaries, currency and buttons from museums across the region gathered together on one website.
"We're not just trying to get military objects, we're also trying to get what life was like in Upper Canada, and particularly in Niagara, at the time," said David Sharron, head of special collections and archives for the James A. Gibson Library at Brock University.
"These domestic items like a wedding dress or an oil lamp or things like that are going into the project as well."
Sharron said the website will save researchers travel time and help people who want to see the actual artifacts find out where they are.
The plan is to invite other museums in Ontario to add their digitized materials to the website.
"When researchers or people with general interest want to find a one-stop shop for 1812 records and artifacts, we want our website to be the place to look at," he said.
The 1812 Online Digitization Project costs more than $100,000, with $55,000 coming from the department of Canadian Heritage.
Two digitization assistants from Port Colborne and St. Catharines are visiting area museums, recording items and uploading them to the web.
The work started in August and is expected to be completed by March. A Brock student has been hired to create the website, which will be launched in the new year.
Sharron said the site will be up and running before the War of 1812 bicentennial so people can use the materials to prepare, research and study.
Partners include the Grimsby Museum, Jordan Historical Museum, Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, Niagara Historical Society and Museum and Niagara Falls Museums, which includes Lundy's Lane Historical Museum.
The District School Board of Niagara is also part of the team and will create curriculum materials for teachers. All of the collected images will be uploaded to Our Ontario, a service of Knowledge Ontario, which is another partner.
Source: St. Catharines Standard