Connecticut State Library Announces Historic Newspaper Titles to be Digitized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gail Hurley
(860 704-2223)
Contact: Robert Kinney
(860 757-6668)
Date: September 3, 2020
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Connecticut State Library Announces Historic Newspaper Titles to be Digitized
(Hartford, CT) The Connecticut State Library is pleased to announce that with a fourth grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the following newspaper titles have been selected to be digitized for the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project (CDNP), and made freely available online. These newspapers include:
- The Litchfield County Post 1826-1829
- The Litchfield Enquirer 1829-1881 (a continuation of the Litchfield County Post)
- La Sentinella 1931-1948 (this completes the entire run of this title started in the last grant round)
- The Waterbury Democrat 1931-1946 (this expands coverage of previous Waterbury Democrat papers digitized)
Raechel Guest, Director of the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury noted that “This is a period of great interest to researchers, and not just because of the national issues of the Great Depression, the repeal of Prohibition, and World War II. Waterbury made national news in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Mayor and Lt. Gov. T. Frank Hayes and his cronies were exposed for a complex scheme of bribes, kick-backs, and voter fraud. The period also includes the celebration of Connecticut’s Tercentennial, when Waterbury created a “Settler’s Village” at Chase Park featuring the city’s diverse immigrant traditions.”
Linda Hocking of the Litchfield Historical Society commented that “Litchfield’s nationally significant newspapers document everything from the first law school in the nation to modern architecture. By making the County Post and Enquirer searchable, the State Library will create global access to Litchfield’s rich history, and we look forward to seeing what researchers are able to uncover.” Dr. Richard Brown of UConn added “Digitization of Litchfield’s newspaper (1826-1881) during the era encompassing not only the Civil War, but the development of industrialization and sectional conflict, will enable researchers everywhere to investigate American history at the grassroots level. Moreover, digital searches will permit investigation of such diverse topics as women, agriculture and commerce, law and justice, African Americans, and Native Americans during three generations of momentous change.”
For the full list of specific newspapers and dates, history blogs and other resources, please go to the CDNP website at https://ctdigitalnewspaperproject.org/.
All titles are expected to be completed and freely available online through the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America site https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ by Fall 2021.
In addition, the State Library’s Newspapers of Connecticut digital collection is available online in the Connecticut Digital Archive https://ctdigitalarchive.org/.
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The Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this press release, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional information about the NEH and its grant programs is available at: http://www.neh.gov .
The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) is a partnership between NEH, the Library of Congress, and state partners. NEH awards enable state partners to choose and digitize newspapers representing their historical, cultural, and geographic diversity. To date, over 16 million pages of historic newspapers are currently available on Chronicling America, with more being added all the time. State partners also contribute rich essays about each newspaper title and its history.