Friends of the Amador County Library (FACL)
SAVE OUR HISTORY PROJECT
Completed
A celebration for the completion of the first phase of "Save Our History," a joint project of the Ledger Dispatch and the Friends of the Amador County Library was held on April 2, 2017 in the Grand Oak Ballroom of the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort, The first phase celebrated the milestone of having a searchable, online archive (1855-2008) of the Ledger Dispatch. This will be a great resource for historians, local history buffs, and genealogists. The archives have Amador County newspapers from 1855 to 2008 and are keyword searchable. Access them at https://www.amadorgov.org/departments/library.
Start of the Project
On July 24th, The Amador Ledger Dispatch ran an article explaining how we are in danger of losing our historical records:
"We are in danger of losing our history. Newspapers have been published since 1855 under different mastheads. And for years, folks looking to dig into history have ventured to the Amador County Public Library to seek information on microfilm. The problem – microfilm has a life cycle. In fact, one of the machines used to search past publications is one that no longer has parts made for it or can be serviced. Thankfully, a second machine was graciously donated to assist the public. But even with that amazing gift, the microfilm continues to erode. In short, when it goes, all our history goes with it.
As publisher of the Amador Ledger Dispatch for over the past decade, it is my responsibility to see these publications and our history do not disappear. In fact, it is my hope that with your help we can not only save our printed history, but also expand access to these documents to the public so that current residents and future generations can see and read all that has been published in Amador County. Imagine being able to access every publication since 1855."
In order to digitize their entire history, a large sum of money was required. Friends of the Amador County Library received generous donations from those in businesses, clubs, and organizations, long-time Amador County families, and many others who agree that protecting this history for future generations is an important cause. We are extremely grateful to all who donated. The Save Our History project is now being operated and maintained by the Ledger Dispatch newspaper.
