New Resources in Washington History now available online for Researchers and Students

Release

The University of Washington Libraries has recently completed a project to identify and preserve the most important early Washington State agriculture, forestry, and fisheries literature in cooperation with Cornell University, Washington State University, and other institutions.

The project produced comprehensive bibliographies of Washington State agriculture, forestry, and fisheries books and journals published between 1820 and 1945 (2,323 entries).  These bibliographies are now available online:  http://www.lib.washington.edu/preservation/projects/washag/index.html

A panel of ten scholars and subject experts then ranked the titles on the bibliographies by their importance for preservation.  129 of the titles (315,000+ pages) ranked most important by the panel were preserved on microfilm.

Titles include Pacific Fisherman, Timberman, Better Fruit, and Washington Farmer.  In several instances, the project collected the last two or three copies of several early Washington State journals documenting the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and rural life of the region.  Microfilm from the project will also be used to digitize portions of Ranch and Pacific Fisherman as part of other grant projects.

The majority of this project was funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities and United States Agricultural Information Network Preserving the History of United States Agriculture and Rural Life:  State and Local Literature, 1820-1945 cooperative grant administered by Cornell University.

Two subsequent grants from the University of Washington Friends of the Libraries and the Washington State Library/Institute of Museum and Library Services funded the preservation of Washington Farmer, an essential record of Washington State agricultural history and rural life published weekly in Spokane, Washington.

The University of Washington Libraries is a network of more than 17 libraries serving three campuses: Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma.  Major facilities include Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, Odegaard Undergraduate Library and the Health Sciences Library, as well as subject-oriented libraries.

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contact: A.C. Petersen, Libraries Communications Officer