Princeton Macintosh Users' Group

January 14, 2020: “Digital Heritage: The Hopewell Valley History Project,” with Doug Dixon

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Doug Dixon will introduce the Hopewell Valley History Project, a new Website that is the result of a volunteer effort to collect the important sources of our local heritage in digital form, and share them online for open and convenient access.

The goal of the site is to bring together key information and documents for people interested in local history, providing a solid foundation for then digging deeper in local or state archives. In the process, the site also helps preserve old documents by sharing them digitally.

The site currently contains searchable Book and Map digital archives with over 100 primary references, including historic e-books and pamphlets, maps and aerial images, and municipal property maps. The Image archives contain over 200 digitized photos and postcards of local buildings and streets, identified by address. The site also includes reference guides to help people get started with exploring their house, town, or ancestors.

Doug will demonstrate this WordPress-based Website, provide examples of its uses in exploring local history questions, and also discuss some of the Web design issues behind its implementation.

About the presenter
Doug Dixon is an independent technology consultant and writer, specializing in Web technology, databases, and digital media. He previously was a product manager and software developer at Intel and Sarnoff. Doug is a board member of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, and is managing the new HVHS Website, along with the Hopewell Public Library Website. He also developed the Hopewell Area Events site that provides consolidated listings of upcoming featured events at local non-profits. Doug provides updates on digital media technology at his Manifest Technology Website.