CT 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: August 10, 2022
NEWS
Connecticut State Library Announces Historic Newspaper Titles to be Digitized
(Hartford, CT) The Connecticut State Library is pleased to announce that with a fifth 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 to be made freely available online. These newspapers include:
- Bradley Beam (Bradley Field, Windsor Locks) 1943-1945
- The Messenger (Bloomfield) 1943-1945
- The Sub (Groton) 1943-1946
- Eastern Connecticut News (Groton) 1946-1947
- The Union Times (New Haven) 1941-1948
- La Verita (Waterbury) 1926-1939 and La Verita, Corriere del Connecticut (New Haven) 1939-1946
- The Willimantic Journal (Willimantic) 1857-1911
- Windham County Observer (Putnam) 1905-1949
- Putnam Patriot (Putnam) 1908-1949
- The New Haven Union (New Haven) 1905-1920
The first five titles are short runs of World War II-era Connecticut newspapers that expand CDNP’s coverage of this time period. These are valuable sources for studying emerging defense industries and the work of women during and after the war. The Verita family of newspapers expands coverage of Italian-language newspapers by highlighting news from Italy as well as local news from the Italian communities in Waterbury and the surrounding area. The Eastern Connecticut newspapers highlight the history of the textile industry in Connecticut, providing a local perspective on changing mill town communities and aid research into underrepresented stories of New England industrialization. The New Haven Union reflected Augusta Troup’s role as a prominent suffragist in Connecticut, and the paper serves as a valuable primary source in the study of the history of women in journalism, publishing and typesetting.
“The digitization of the Putnam Patriot and Windham County observer will be a valuable addition to researchers and genealogists searching for information about Eastern Connecticut. I’m very excited that it will be available online and accessible to everyone!” Priscilla Colwell, Director of Putnam Public Library.
“We are thrilled that the Connecticut State Library has been awarded this grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This support will help them to continue to digitize CT Historic Newspapers. At the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, it is our belief that history is the road map for the future and imperative for Connecticut citizens to have access to this information.” Sarah Smith Lubarsky, Executive Director, Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.
“Bloomfield has played an important part in American History, and we are thankful for the opportunity to digitize some of Bloomfield Public Library’s historical collections to showcase this truth and to then share it far and wide. With monthly installments titled “News about the Boys on the War Front” to headlines such as “Nazi Capitulation Liberates Four Bloomfield Men From Prison Camps”, we know that this series from The Messenger will help supplement Bloomfield Public School’s curriculum, in addition to academic institutions around the world, while also contributing to our civic pride. We are grateful to the CT State Library, the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities for seeing the enduring value of the digitization of these important historical documents.” Elizabeth Lane, Library Director, Bloomfield Public Library.
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 the Fall 2023.
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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About the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project
The Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 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 .
About the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP)
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 19 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.
We wish to thank Yale University and the Putnam Public Library for loaning microfilm to us to complete this project.
About the Connecticut State Library
The Connecticut State Library is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. The State Library provides a variety of library information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of State government. The Connecticut State Archives and the Museum of Connecticut History are components of the State Library as is the Division of Library Development. Visit the CT State Library at CT State Library | Museum of Connecticut History | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Flickr