The First Look At Online Collections - A Public Access Catalog for the History Center
The History Center in Tompkins County has officially launched the first phase of our Online Collections Catalog, a new tool that brings parts of our archives, photographs, maps, and artifacts onto the web for anyone to explore. You can take a look here:
This is a milestone that has been years in the making — and it represents the beginning of a much larger journey to make our collections accessible to the public in a way they’ve never been before.
What is a “Public Access Catalog”?
A public access catalog is exactly what it sounds like: a searchable digital gateway to a museum or archival collection. It allows you to explore what we hold in our vaults, even if you can't visit the History Center in person.
On our new online catalog, you can:
Browse highlighted photographs and artifacts
Search by names, subjects, and places
Discover items connected to local families, neighborhoods, and historic events
See early versions of finding aids for archival collections
View digitized materials when available
Right now, you’ll notice that only a portion of our collection is available. That’s because building a public catalog is a massive undertaking — and this first phase gives you just a peek at what’s ahead.
Donna Eschenbrenner, Director of Archives and Research Services, and Cindy Kjellander-Cantu, Curator, have been hard at work cleaning and organizing the data for our 100,000+ photographs, 400+ archival collections, 1,200 maps, 20,000+ objects, 200+ oral histories, and more. In the coming year they’ll continue to grow the catalog and begin the process of digitizing collections.
It is a massive undertaking.
There are several ways you can get involved. The first is to donate. Forty percent of the History Center’s funding comes from individual donors - which means individuals like you have enabled this amazing project. The second is to volunteer. Keep your ears out in the coming months for invitations to assist with the digitization process! The third way to contribute is to explore. Click around the catalog, practice searching, and let us know what you find!
As the public catalog begins to represent the artifacts and stories kept at the History Center, teachers will be able to teach local history without expending the budget to leave the classroom, families will be able to find their roots in Tompkins from afar, and researchers who otherwise are not able to join us in the Commons will have an entry point to our shared local history.
