Promoting local history with Day of Digitization

The Bellmore Memorial Library was hoping to stir up some local history at its recent Day of Digitization event, held on Aug. 12. In effort to add things like photographs, postcards and other artifacts to the library’s digital collection, residents were invited to submit items that showed off the hamlets’ history.

Chryssa Golding, the library’s reference and local history librarian, said while Bellmore Memorial has a small digital collection, they wanted to try and expand it.

“The Day of Digitization is dedicated to adding a handful of items some people might have in the community — like photos and other memorabilia relating to the history of Bellmore,” Golding said. “We are looking for ideally, 20th century — any photos, or even documents like invoices for businesses that are no longer around.”

Golding said the library used to host meetings for the Bellmore Historical Society, which doesn’t exit anymore. The historical society used to collect things like photographs and artifacts.

“The hope is to put up more digital content to share with our community through New York Heritage and through our website,” she said. “Ideally if we get enough content, we also want to make a display.”

Golding has worked with the library since she was 16, and has always had an interest in local history. After she went to library school, she connected with Martha DiVittorio, the head of reference at Bellmore Memorial, who previously was in charge of history-related things at the library.

There was some interested after the coronavirus pandemic in redeveloping the historical society, but it ultimately didn’t succeed, Golding said, and was disbanded.

“Their collection was just scattered among different basements and it was not even curated,” Golding said of the historical society. “It was in poor condition. We have a limited amount of photos, postcards, documents and maps, and we have put them in archival folders and boxes. We have a catalogue of this stuff, but we’re trying to get more online.”

Bellmore Memorial received a small grant from the Long Island Library Resources Council to help the library get the digital collection on NYHeritage.org, the state’s digital collections website. There, people can access other information from libraries, museums and institutions across the state.

Aside from photographs, documents and postcards, the library is also open to looking at negatives of pictures, clothing items, buttons, brochures, correspondences like letters, programs, stamps, medals, books, phone directories and menus. Donors will receive commemorative merchandise while supplies last.

And while the Day of Digitization was an opportunity to bring items by, it really just kick started an ongoing effort by the library. Bellmore Memorial will continue accepting donations. Anyone interested can contact Golding at cgolding@bellmorememorial.org to set up an appointment.

If the collection grows, Golding said she was looking into doing a few presentations about Bellmore’s history. The more interest the library can get in its efforts the better, Golding added.

For more information on the library’s efforts so far, visit BellmoreLibrary.org/day-of-digitization.