GREENSTONE – Two local historical societies have launched a project to digitize the Greenstone region’s historical photos. The consultant performing the work is Karmin Temple-Milne of KTM Media Services. Greenstone Historical Photo Project is a joint undertaking of Longlac Historical Society and the new Greenstone Historical Society. The community newspaper, Times Star, has donated office space at its Geraldton address.
The project has purchased a laptop and specialized scanner so that images of archival quality can be produced and stored as digital files. The consultant follows strict protocols in recording the donors of print photos and obtaining permissions to copy. Prints are returned to donors in short order.
The consultant creates print records for each image, assigning each image its own number code. She creates a title, and notes details such as date, location, signage (visible in the image), and annotations (usually written on the back of prints). She also creates a short word description of the image.
Asked about her new job, Karmin Temple-Milne said, “I love it! . . . [Before] I didn’t know much about the history of Greenstone . . . It’s really opened my eyes.”
The supervisor of the project, Edgar Lavoie, said that this project will run until the end of summer. The Municipality of Greenstone approved the funding back in 2010, and Greenstone Economic Development Corporation and FedNor are matching the Municipality’s funding.
Lavoie said that if more matching funds can be found, the second phase of Greenstone Historical Photo Project will see the creation of a website and galleries of the scanned images made accessible to the public.
The current plan is to approach owners of historical photos in all Greenstone communities to obtain permission to scan them. The wishes of donors with regard to public access will be honoured.
Anyone wishing to advise the project of his or her collection can contact the consultant or supervisor or e-mail GHPP2012@live.ca.