Waterloo Region local history has a new online home
Waterloo Region – Expansion of the Region of Waterloo Library (RWL) website keeps local history alive thanks to the generosity of the Taylor bequest and the support of a $4,000 grant from an Anonymous Fund within Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation (CNDCF).
On November 4, 2016, the RWL launches a new website (rwlibrary.ca/localhistory) featuring the Tweedsmuir history books of the Ayr and Central Dumfries Women’s Institute groups. These collections of local history include photographs, news clippings and other historical documents by area women from the 1960s to the 1990s. Among the pages are birth announcements, obituaries, graduation notices, articles and photos of local news.
“Having these historical records easily accessible online will help ensure that the fascinating, ever- evolving story of Waterloo Region is preserved and told to future generations,” said Les Armstrong, Regional Councillor and Chair of Library Committee.
Digital scans of materials originate from the extensive local history collection of the Ayr branch and cover events and people in North Dumfries Township, Galt, Cambridge, Waterloo Region and beyond. When possible, the online materials have also been prepared for those who choose to listen, rather than read, about their local history using a screen-reader.
The Federation of Women’s Institutes of Ontario is one of many groups that has agreed to make local history items like photo collections, church histories, library histories, and an impressive collection of funeral cards from the 1800s, digitally accessible to all.
The RWL will have a booth and host a workshop at the Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair on November 5, 2016. The booth and workshop will feature various materials that were digitally scanned as well as a walkthrough of the materials online.
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For more information please contact:
Kelly Bernstein, Manager, Library Services, Region of Waterloo Library
519-575-4590 x3228, kbernstein@regionofwaterloo.ca