Digitised
Resources
What are we working on?
Places
1. Digitisation of Lantern Slides
In 2003 the Library Service was awarded a small grant from the East of England Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (EEMLAC) towards the digitisation of 400 glass lantern slides. These slides, taken by a local photographer in the early 1900s will be made available on the Virtual Library during 2005.
2. Digitisation of Local Bedford Directories
This year the Library Service has started a rolling programme of digitising local Bedford Directories. The first few directories from the late 1800s are currently with a digitisation agency. It will be possible to search for streets, house names, individuals by name and place and proper names. This project complements the work undertaken by Leicester University to digitise local county directories such as Kelly's.
3. Local Newspaper Indexes
An electronic database of local newspaper articles is being constructed that users of the Virtual Library will be able to search online. Users will be able to search by place, person, date and topic. The database will will contain current as well as retrospective newspaper articles. Some newspapers articles will also be digitised so that it will be possible to read the full text of the story.
Detail from a glass lantern slide in the collection of Bedford Central Library
Harpur Street/Silver Street, Bedford
©Bedfordshire Libraries, 2004
