Winterton Collection
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Patti Strait, (847) 467-5919 or p-strait@northwestern.edu |
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NORTHWESTERN LIBRARY AWARDED IMLS GRANT TO DIGITIZE RARE AFRICAN PHOTOS
Evanston, Ill. --- Northwestern University Library has received a $189,719 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to digitize, describe, and provide web access to 7,610 photographs depicting life in East Africa between the 1860s and 1960s.
The Winterton Collection of East African Photographs, acquired by Northwestern in 2002, provides an unparalleled visual chronicle of African life and culture during this 100-year period. The collection consists of glass lantern slides, photographs, postcards, and diary pages that show the building of East Africa’s railways, the growth of its urban centers, and the development of the European colonial administration. The images extensively document rural life, and show the changing relationships among Africans, and between Africans and Europeans.
“The special value of these photographs lies in the unusual subject matter,” says Jonathon Glassman, associate professor of history at Northwestern. “The most familiar photographs of this era,” he says, “tend to dwell on what the photographer considered the glamorous aspects of East Africa: wildlife, landscapes, settler life, the occasional posed portrait of an African sultan or Maasai warrior. What makes the Winterton Collection stand out,” he adds, “is the large number of items that document more prosaic matters. Such matters are precisely the most difficult for the student of African history to get a handle on.”
A limited number of images from the collection have already been digitized and can be viewed at http://www.library.northwestern.edu/africana/winterton/index.html. These images have captured the attention of scholars worldwide and have had a considerable influence on teaching and graduate research at Northwestern.
“The availability of just a fraction of the collection on this site has led to considerable use of the photographs by researchers in North America, Europe, and East Africa,” says David Easterbrook, curator of Northwestern’s Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies. “Providing online access to the full collection will have a remarkable impact on teaching and learning about Africa.”
The Library plans to digitize the full collection and make it available via a web site designed in collaboration with teachers, museum professionals, and scholars. One of the project goals is to enhance curriculum development in African studies at both the secondary and undergraduate levels.
All photographs will be digitally imaged at 600 dots per inch (dpi) resolution and will be accompanied by descriptive and technical metadata. The project will allow the Library to test new preservation and technical metadata standards for digital image objects, and will lay the groundwork for a digital preservation program at Northwestern.
“Thanks to the IMLS award, we have both an opportunity and the support needed to work through some substantial policy and technical challenges relating to long-term preservation of digital cultural objects,” says Claire Stewart, head of Northwestern’s Digital Media Services unit. “This is an exciting development for us.”
IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through its grant making, convenings, research, and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build 21st century skills, and increase civic participation.
Read the grant announcement on the Institute for Museum and Library Services site.
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| Young Women from the Album of A. E. B., Zanzibar (1908) from the Winterton Collection of East African Photographs | Karamoja Warriors, c.1925. Album of A. R. King. Winterton Collection of East African Photographs | Ndiakuu Street in Mombasa, c. 1905. Album of R. W. Hamilton. Winterton Collection of East African Photographs |
Project updates and key documents will be available through the team website