Henry Flagler’s third wife Mary Lily Flagler and their dog Delos, circa 1905
More than 1,000 Flagler College archival items, from yearbooks and college catalogs to historic and college photographs are now available to the public, thanks to a new digital archives project by the college’s Archives Specialist Jolene DuBray. These relics of the past — formerly viewable only during in-person visits — became available online May 5, during Alumni Weekend, when DuBray launched the project.
“With the new digital archives project, we’re starting out with a select portion of old photographs, yearbooks, FLARE magazines and course catalogs,” DuBray said. “There’s definitely been in increased interest in archives. I think that living in an historic town like St. Augustine is part of the appeal.”
The benefits of the new archives project extend beyond satiating the interests of memorabilia aficionados; it’s also a preservation initiative. By viewing items online instead of handling them in-person, long-term damage is mitigated.
“The more items are digitized, the longer the actual object actually lasts,” DuBray said. “We don’t have to take it out and expose it to light. And, a main benefit to digitization is instant access to the archives.”
One of the challenges of the project has been photo identification — of individuals pictured, and the year it was taken. By launching it during Alumni Weekend, visiting alumni served as an investigative resource to help clear up some of those mysteries.
To access the new digital visit here: http://digitalarchives.flagler.edu/.
