Paraplyprosjektet «Skjermkontakt med lokalhistorien»

Netting Local History In Norway as in several other European countries the government request a closer co-operation between archives, libraries and museums (ALM). In Norway the Ministry of Cultural Affairs presents the same view in a recent report to the Parliament, St. meld. 22 1999-2000. Kjelder til kunnskap og oppleving. Om arkiv, bibliotek og museum i ei IKT-tid og om bygningsmessige rammevilkår på kulturområdet. (Sources to knowledge and adventure. Archive, library and museum in a society based on information-technology). An important principle in the report is easy access to recorded heritage and collections of items for the public. The report was recently, December 2000, treated by the Parliament and received massive political support. The Norwegian Directorate for Public Libraries felt called upon to do something regarding ALM and in august 1999 we initiated the project Netting Local History. The main objectives are: To develop co-operation in the sector of museums, libraries and archives. Try out network organisation in the development of public libraries Many Norwegian public libraries do have recorded cultural heritage material like for instance collections of local newspapers, photos, letters, church records and local censuses. The Norwegian Directorate for Public Libraries found this area suitable for co-operation between the public libraries, museums and archives. When this project started up there were several ongoing projects, but they only contributed to develop parts of the development we are on threshold of. By organising seven local projects in a network-project The Norwegian Directorate of Public Libraries wants to develop and illustrate the public libraries` presentation of local history. We consider that projects, which involve different institutions in the sector of ALM, may generate some new solutions for the public libraries.

Paticipating libraries Austevoll folkebibliotek "Tidsbilete frå Austevoll - Lokalhistoriske koplingar på nett" Fusa folkebibliotek "Bygdebok i nettet" Porsgrunn bibliotek «Framtidas medier for bevaring av fortidas kulturarv» Sogndal bibliotek "Lokalhistorisk spørjevev". Stavanger bibliotek "Forskning og opplevelse" Telemarksbiblioteket "Lokalhistoriske data frå Telemark på Internett" Ål bibliotek "Heimbygda - ein refleks av landet og verda"

Framtidas medier for bevaring av fortidas kulturarv

In common with many other libraries we have become aware of a growing interest in local history. Every autumn a number of books on local history are published. We register many enquiries for these books in the library, for example from students writing essays on local historical subjects, or people looking for information about their forbears.

Internet gives us the opportunity to display local material, thus making it generally available to a great many people. Porsgrunn library has received a Research and Education grant from the Norwegian Directorate for public Libraries both in 1999 and 2000, to be used on a research project entitled "Netting local history", of which Porsgrunn library's project "Mediums of the future for preservation of the cultural inheritance of the past" forms a part. In this project we are working very closely with the local history societies, museums and archives.

Several different elements are included in this project:

1. Scanning of books Books and articles on local history are much in demand in connection with projects and essays, but the library only has a limited number of available copies. Other books are old and dilapidated, with no possibility of being replaced. We are endeavouring to obtain permission from authors and copyright holders to scan some of these books. By making these books and articles available in this way, it will be possible to look through this material, more precisely in fact, to find relevant information and descriptions of people and events.

Here you will find what is currently available (in Norwegian only).

2. The archives of the occupation history A book entitled "The years of occupation in Porsgrunn" was published by a group of people in 1988 and the archives used by this group were deposited in the library. The nature of these archives did not lend itself to active use by the general public.

These documents have now been scanned and have been made available on the Internet.

3. Old photographs Photographs are an important part of local historical material. Porsgrunn library has had in its possession a small collection of between 2 and 3 hundred pictures, and the local authority had bought air photographs over Porsgrunn from Widerøe aeroplane company. Brevik History Society has a large collection of photographs and Porsgrunn History Society owns a collection of over 100.000 pictures (including about 70.000 glass plates). Some of the photographs from this vast resource of material has been scanned and registered in a special component in the Bibliofil program. In this way the photographs will be available on Internet and can be found in the library's database. Where applicable, links will be established from these photographs to the articles and books on local history that have been scanned.

Here you can get access to the registered and searchable photographs.

In addition, we have begun to look at old maps of Porsgrunn. We have bought 4 old maps from the National Cartography Authority, including this one from 1811, a section of which is displayed here, showing the area which is now the centre in Porsgrunn.

Please refer also to the latest report on the progress of the project.