Residents invited to bring WW I memorabilia to Digitization Day

TORRINGTON » The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the United State’s entry into World War One. In an effort to help preserve this significant part of our history, Torrington Historical Society is partnering with the Connecticut State Library’s Remembering World War One project to hold a Digitization Day at the Society on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the event, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, we will be digitizing old photos, documents, mementos, and other objects related to the war at home and abroad. The Digitization Day event cannot accept photocopies or printouts and cannot scan magazines or photos that may have copyright protections. Also, for security reasons, weapons are not allowed.

Area residents should bring their World War I photos, letters and other keepsakes to the Torrington Historical Society Carriage House Gallery, 192 Main Street, to have them photographed or scanned by Connecticut State Library staff while you wait. Digital images of these objects will be made available online and preserved in the Connecticut Digital Archive. Perhaps your World War I keepsakes did not belong to a Connecticut resident? Not to worry. The only prerequisite for inclusion in this project is that you, the participant, are a Connecticut resident and that the materials are related to World War I.

“We encourage local residents who have World War I materials or stories to attend this Digitization Day event,” said Mark McEachern, Torrington Historical Society Executive Director, in a written statement. “This is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that your personal treasures will be preserved and shared with a larger audience.”

For more information about this event, contact the Torrington Historical Society at 860-482-8260 or Christine Pittsley at 860-757-6517 or CTinWW1@ct.gov. To learn more about the Remembering World War One project or other upcoming events, visit http://ctinworldwar1.org/digitization-days/.

Located at 192 Main Street, the Torrington Historical Society is an active, not-for-profit organization committed to collecting, preserving, and sharing the diverse and rich history of Torrington. The Society shares Torrington’s history with the public through exhibitions, lectures, school programs, special events and various other educational endeavors. Collections of note include: Ethnic/Immigrant Artifacts; Industrial History; Torrington Photographic Archive; Blueprint/ Architectural Drawing Archive; John Brown materials and the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum Collection. For more information, visit http://www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org.

The Connecticut State Library is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. The State Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of State government. The Connecticut State Archives and the Museum of Connecticut History are components of the State Library. Visit the State Library at http://ctstatelibrary.org.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.