Newton Public Library debuts online archive

Discovering Newton’s history has been made easier through an online archive launched by the Newton Public Library last month. Historical photographs and files are now accessible to anyone with internet access.

The year-long project was made possible by the Newton Public Library. Public Services Librarian Rebecca Klein took an interest in launching the archive database because of the research opportunity she knew it would bring to the community.

Klein said the photographs and documents are a compilation of what is already in the library, the City of Newton and maybe what is in your neighbor’s attic.

“The most fantastic thing about this archive is that it is all local to Newton and local to Jasper County,” Klein said. “Another great thing about this local archive is these are the materials that often times you can’t go online and find.”

For instance, Klein said people may not know there were a number of theaters and opera houses in Newton in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“We have photographs of the singers and in particular a famous opera singer who moved to Europe,” Klein said.

In addition, Klein said the archive includes general Newton locations and events, such as, annual celebrations and events. There is also a catalog of pictures of Maytag equipment, which has been of interest to many locals.

“You can get online from home and it’s free and accessible to anyone with an internet connection,” Klein said. “The feedback has been really good. I think what I hear the most from people is, ‘this is stuff I didn’t know existed.’ People will say they find stuff they wouldn’t normally go looking for.”

Klein hopes the archives will continue to expand as community members become interested in the project.

“My hope is that I can get some community involvement in collecting items to put into the archive,” Klein said. “I am actively seeking out photos, documents and things people are willing to share. We do have a couple people who have asked to contribute collections, which is really exciting.”

Diving into a city’s history and collecting files is something Klein is very familiar with and she has compiled archives for different cities for the last nine years.

“I worked in the archives in Cody, Wyo., and did a local archives program and that’s where it all started, and then in Rapid City, S.D.,” Klein said. “These local history projects have been really successful in very many places.”

Klein said the documents are integrated with social media, so people can share things or comment on the items with additional information they may have.

Klein said she is hoping to start digitizing the Newton Senior High School yearbooks that date back to 1910.

The archive is updated with new items monthly, if not weekly, according to Klein.

“I think it’s important for every community to preserve unique history,” Klein said. “The stories that happened here haven’t happened anywhere else. Those stories are meaningful to people who live here and grew up here.”To access the online archive, go to the Newton Public Library website and click the “Research” tab, and then click the “Newton Public Library Digital Archive” link.

“Something like this I think hopefully will be a community project in the end where people throughout the community will be able to contribute, and the end product of that is so much larger and so much better than what anyone could do on their own,” Klein said.

Contact Kayla Langmaid at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com