22 September 2009

Footnote.com: 60 millionth image added

If one picture is worth one thousand words, what's the value of 60 million images?

Footnote.com has just posted its 60 millionth image. If you find just one image of an ancestor or a document about that individual that couldn't be found elsewhere, the value is priceless.

There's nothing like an original resource and Footnote.com helps researchers by providing photos, letters and documents through its digitization projects. While indexes and transcriptions are very useful, nothing really replaces seeing the original. Researchers know that the more an item is indexed by human beings or a document is transcribed, the more likely an error may creep in. Viewing the original helps to minimize such errors.

I always check the site as new collections are introduced and have found records for many related individuals.

October is Family History Month and Footnote's been busy adding more than a million new records each month, in addition to millions of images. The site's partnerships with organizations, such as the National Archives and Gannett publishers, has produced digitized and indexed historical documents and photos.

Researchers around the world can access these valuable resources online, and scholars, historians and genealogists use Footnote's unique record collections, including:

Historical Newspapers
Revolutionary War Documents
Civil War Records and Photos
The Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial
WWII Collection

While the subscription site is for-fee, it also includes a number of free collections, such as the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), which allows visitors to create interactive experiences from a simple index. For each record, there's a page featuring a timeline, map, photo gallery and a place for readers to contribute stories and details about an individual. The index spans those born in 1875 through those who died last week, providing name, birth date, death date and last known residence.

Visit Footnote.com to explore these and other historical collections.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing the information concerning Footnote. Be prepared for an important announcement from Footnote this weekend or early next week!

    The History Man

    ReplyDelete