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G2S Project Code: 2015-WI-75495
State: Wisconsin
Fiscal Year: 2015
Grantee
ARAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

Project Director
Director Name: Anita O'Brien
Director Phone: (262) 728-3111
Director Email: director@aramlibrary.org
General Information
Title: Digitization of Historic Newspapers in Delevan, WI: 19th Century Circus Capital of the World
State Project Code: 15-140
Start Date: 01/01/2015
End Date: 12/30/2015
Abstract:

The Wisconsin Times records the history of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf and other state deaf schools. The national deaf community has used this as a resource, and it provides a snapshot into the history of deaf life in the United States.11 rolls of The Wisconsin Times from 1884-1968 and 28 rolls of The Delavan Republican from 1885 -1924 were digitized.

The Delavan Republican chronicled over 26 circuses in Delavan from 1847 to 1894, an art colony in Delavan from 1895-1910, and the building boom of private houses, hotels and resorts as summer retreats for Chicagoans who came up on the train between 1875-1895. Since neither publication is indexed, the ability to keyword search the text is of great help to researchers of local history, genealogy and deaf culture.
State Goal: Support the equalization of access to information and lifelong learning resources
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$5,864.00
$0.00
$500.00
$6,364.00
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.
History
Collection Development & Management
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Wisconsin Historical Society digitization of original microfilm reels
Narrative:

John Friend at Wisconsin Historical Society managed the digitization process.


Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 39
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 39
Number of physical items: 3
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 1
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 0
Number of plans/frameworks: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: Wisconsin State Historical Society
Address: 816 State Street
City: Madison
State: WI
Zip: 53706
Activity Details
Title: Lakeshores Library System staff researched Rescarta software
Narrative:

Lakeshores Library System technology Staff researched Rescarta metadata software and methods to mesh data with current platform

Activity 2 Description:  Lakeshores Library System tech staff researched Rescarta and methods to mesh data with platform.


Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Planning & Evaluation
Mode: Prospective
Format: Third party


Quantity
Number of evaluations and/or plans funded: 1
Number of funded evaluation and/or plans completed: 1


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: LAKESHORES LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 725 Cornerstone Crossing
City: Waterford
State: WI
Zip: 53185-4584
Activity Details
Title: Content Creation
Narrative:       Loaded data received from the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) onto local server. Made content  accessible on Aram Library and Wisconsin School for the Deaf websites; notified interested  agencies of existence of database. Made content accessible on Aram Library and Wisconsin School for the Deaf websites; notified WHS, DHS, WCGS, WCHS, Circus Museum,Galludet University, WESP, all Cooperative educational consortia of the database's existence.



Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 10,016
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 10,016
Number of physical items: 3
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 2
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 0
Number of plans/frameworks: 1


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: All Ages
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: Yes
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: Yes: Hearing impaired


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: Circus World Museum
Address: 550 Water St.
City: Baraboo
State: WI
Zip: 53913
Name: Delavan Historical Society
Address: 635 E Wisconsin St.
City: Delavan
State: WI
Zip: 53115
Name: Galludet University
Address: 800 Florida Ave NE
City: Washington
State: DC
Zip: 53072
Name: Walworth County Genealogical Society
Address: P.O. Box 159
City: Delavan
State: WI
Zip: 53115
Name: Walworth County Historical Society
Address: PO Box 273
City: Elkhorn
State: WI
Zip: 53121
Name: Wisconsin Educational Service Program
Address: Paul Rd
City: Pewaukee
State: WI
Zip: 53072
Activity Details
Title: Purchase of hard drives and archival CDs for storage and back-up
Narrative:

Purchase of hard drives and archival CDs for storage and back-up by Lakeshores Library System staff


Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Physical


Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 3
Number of software acquired: 1
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 0
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: All Ages
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: Yes
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: Yes: Hearing Impaired


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: LAKESHORES LIBRARY SYSTEM
Address: 725 Cornerstone Crossing
City: Waterford
State: WI
Zip: 53185-4584
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important findings or outcomes from your project:
Due to the length of time it took the digitize the documents: from March 2015 through August 2015 and the other demands on the time of the technology professionals at Lakeshores Library System, the database of digitized newspapers was not available to the public until February 2016, allowing us little time to collect data to measure outcomes. Testimony was received from researchers who plan to use this resource on a regular basis: "The digitized WI Times is great! I was able to find out that WSD had its first Arbor Day festival in 1885! I did that in my iPhone in a hotel room at Fort Wayne, Indiana! The digitized WI Times will help expand my research on Paul Lange." " huge thanks to Nell Fleming for her heartfelt dedication" "It has been very touching to be able to read what my uncle, Billy Budde, wrote while he was attending the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. Since I only knew him as an adult and he had passed away many years ago, it is very touching to get a glimpse of him as a child from his writings and learn of him being a hero by saving a young girl from drowning. If it wasn’t for his writings (noted in the Wisconsin Times) being digitalized and easily available via the search engine, it would have been a part of him that I would have never known. Thanks for providing this tool that allows me and the rest of my extended family to have had this meaningful learning opportunity. Also by reading those writings, it brings back the fond memories we do have of him while he was alive and it has sparked several conversations within our family. " (1932-1938) "I am delighted that the Delavan Republican is digitized. I have been commissioned to write a book about one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes on Delavan Lake and have spent many mind-numbing hours reading the paper on microfilm at the library the past two years. The digital version, searchable by keywords, gives me the results in seconds. I can do my work from home (I live more than an hour from the library) and also ensures that I do not overlook pertinent items. Thank you, thank you!" "I am astonished to find out I am referenced in the Wisconsin Times 142 times as both a student and staff person! I am looking forward to exploring more from my home". Galludet University responded: "That is great to know. So far you are one of 3 schools for the deaf that have digitized their publication." A pop-up survey on the webpages displaying the link to the newspapers will collect additional data: in the past 3 weeks we have had 5 responses: 4 found the information they were seeking, one did not; 4 said the ease of access was very easy, 1 responded that it took some time to use it; other publications were suggested to include in the future. Additionally, Google Analytics installed on Aram Library’s Local History page will track the number of views of the new resources. In the past 3 weeks we have had 40 unique page views of this resource; since March 2015 requests of the microfilmed reels of the Republican have totaled 145. Wisconsin School for the Deaf has had 91 unique page views thus far and since since March 2015 has had 2 requests to view microfilmed reels of the Wisconsin Times. Anecdotal evidence will be collected verbally as patrons learn about this new resource and are instructed on its use.
Please briefly describe importance of findings:
Feedback obtained by these different methods will provide a measure of the success of the project. It will give us a guide to gauge interest in further developing digitized offerings of different publications and extended time periods. Views of digitized newspapers have already exceeded requests for actual microfilm reels, and the remote access capabilities have proven useful to researchers as evidenced by personal testimony.
What methods did you use to determine your findings? Check all that apply:
Survey
Based on outputs, outcomes and/or other results, explain any significant lessons learned from these findings for either the SLAA or others in the LIS field:
We feel that increased marketing to interested segments of the population will further positively affect usage of this database.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort:
No
Do you anticipate any change in the project's scope:
No
Do you anticipate any other changes in the project:
No
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: Digitization, circuses