“Read All About It!” Chuck Henry and Historic Newspapers Online

By Carolyn Bennett

GILBOA — Chuck Henry loves his job. And we’re delighted he does. As manager of NYSHistoricNewspapers.org, Chuck digitizes old newspapers (like this one will be) and puts them online for you to read whenever for whatever. It’s a free user-friendly site and marks thousands of visitors monthly for its millions of pages of newspapers from every county throughout New York State.

Coming to the Gilboa Museum from his base in Potsdam, NY, Chuck will talk about these historic newspapers on Saturday, September 13th at 1pm. Introduced by well-known former editor of the Catskill Mountain News, Diane Galusha, Chuck will illustrate his comments with what’s new on the website that is free and easy for all of us to use.

Chuck proudly describes the many kinds of information the papers make available to the international public. And, you can sense his excitement when he describes his memorable ‘user’ stories.

While genealogists make up the largest audience for the newspapers due to published obituaries, marriage announcements, births, and other details about family lives, other users appear regularly. One fellow remembered a murder in his neighborhood when he was growing up. His childhood friends didn't recall it and, he wanted to share it with them. “We helped him find details about the case such as the murderer and eventual court case against him,” Henry said, adding “If you're into true crime, our site is a treasure trove!”

Henry also mentions people looking for old bowling scores, displaced Adirondack mining town residents, cars no longer made, price points for groceries, and even recipes! “These users dig through the newspapers looking for recipes published in the 1800's and then attempt them in their modern kitchens. Sounds like a fun culinary adventure!”

So, how did Henry get involved in the historic newspaper project?

As a NYS certified teacher. Chuck always had a strong interest in computers and technology. With an eye on a career helping teachers get a handle on technology and use it effectively in the classroom, he advanced his degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Plattsburgh with a Masters degree in Instructional Technology and Media Management from SUNY Potsdam. When he learned the Northern New York Library Network was looking for a technical services librarian, he landed the job. Luckily, even without formal library science training, they saw the value of his educational background and he became their Integrated Technologies Coordinator in 2013.

“The NYS Historic Newspaper website actually was started to solve a problem for our membership. Our members are libraries, library systems, academic libraries and other cultural organizations like historical societies or museums,” explained Henry. “These organizations had large amounts of historic newspapers on microfilm. For libraries it was hard to let the public use the film because it required constant staff time to assist users' searches and operation of the film readers. They wanted an easier way for people to access their collection of historical newspapers.”

“Northern New York Historic Newspapers” was born. “We started the project In 2004 and digitized around 2 million pages of newspapers local to our coverage area. In 2014 we decided to expand the focus of the website to the whole state and rebranded as "New York State Historic Newspapers.” We’ve since added 13 million pages from more than a thousand titles!

The NYS Historic Newspaper Project has a large number of writers and researchers exploring daily news events in local communities all over the state. These researchers publish articles in current newspapers, history publications, and books. “We also have students from elementary to high school and college that research statewide news trends as part of their studies,” Henry added.

Using the Historic Newspaper site is free for the user which means funding the project must be found in various ways.

“We digitize microfilm, process the images and post them to the site. We charge enough to cover the processing as well as the hosting for those images. We also receive some funding from New York State, National Endowment for Humanities grants and private donations,” said Henry.

Henry explains that If you want your town’s paper included on the site, your first task is to check to see what the site may have of that title already. Then check with your local library or museum or historical society to see how much else of it they have on microfilm. If it exists on paper only, the path to being online is longer and more expensive.

“Partner with your local organizations, Henry advises. “Across the state, the councils of the Empire State Library Network (esln.org) have grants available that can assist if you're a member or you're partnered with a member. Once you have an idea of what needs digitization and funding lined up, the microfilm can be processed for inclusion on the site.”

Chuck Henry will be speaking at the Gilboa Museum & Nicholas J. Juried History on Saturday, September 13, 1 pm. Co-sponsored by the Gilboa Historical Society, Jefferson Historical Society and Historical Society of Middletown, the event is part of a “First Drafts of History” series to encourage the use of our local archives.

This free illustrated presentation promises a lively talk and a look at new search tools and easy ways to discover information at the NYS Historic Newspaper website. Chuck will also be discussing some background on newspapers and how they're published that'll help speed up searcher's work.

Gilboa Museum activities are funded by New York Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature; NYPA, Joyce and David Barber Fund, Nicholas J. Juried, and the Town of Gilboa.