Websites - Digital history guide - Childrose - LibGuides at SUNY Columbia-Greene Community College

CGCC Digital Collections

New York Heritage Digital Collections - Columbia-Greene Community College
Access the CGCC Library’s digital heritage and history collections. Collections include the Arthur Koweek Collection of images documenting Urban Renewal in Hudson, N.Y.; Barns of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains; and CGCC history.

Evaluating internet resources

When looking at a web site, ask yourself:

Who?

Is the author or organization identifiable?
Is there information on the author's or organization's background? (Check for an "About Us" tab on a site's homepage, or check the bottom of the page to see a site's host.)
Is there contact information (email address, phone number, etc.) for the author?

What?

Does the site cover a specific time period or aspect of a topic, or does it cover the topic in depth?
Based on your knowledge of the topic, what information is included or omitted?
Is it done or "under construction"?

Where?

Is the site a .com, .gov, .org, or .edu?
Is it linked to other reputable sites?

When?

When was it mounted?
When was it last updated? How often is it updated? (Many websites list when they were last updated at the bottom of the page)

Why?

What is the site's purpose?
Based on your knowledge, is the site's information factual, opinion, or propaganda?
Are there a lot of ads? Is the site trying to sell something?

How?

Is the site well organized?
Is the site professional looking and well designed?
Are the images used to enhance, rather than impress?

Web Resources

The following is a collection of local and regional history information freely available via the World Wide Web:

Catskill Archive Excellent site managed by the Mountaintop Historical Society that features links to websites, articles, historic books, and more.
The Catskills: A Sense of Place Link takes you to a 140-page PDF about the human history of the Catskills region. Presented by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.
Catskill Tri-County Historical Views "Catskill Tri-County Historical Views is a local history publication containing resource and review articles. It serves as an informational and educational outlet for its readers interested in the Catskills’ cultural and natural history. At full color, 80 bound pages; Tri-County is published twice a year: May and November."
Center for Brooklyn History Official website of an archival center devoted to preserving and sharing the history of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Center is an affiliate of the Brooklyn Public Library.
Columbia County Genealogy and History Site contains information on local towns, cemeteries, biographies, census records.
Columbia County Historians and Historical Societies Columbia County Historical Society webpage listing town historians, historical societies, and town and village clerks.
Columbia County Historical Society Official website of this organization.
Greene County Historical Society Official site for this organization.
Historic Hudson Official website of Historic Hudson, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the city's architectural heritage.
Hudson and Mohawk Valleys - Native American History Excellent page detailing the regional history of the Mohicans. Includes several maps and archaeological images.
Hudson Area Library History Room Web page that lists the room's hours, holdings, and more.
Hudson River History A collection of articles pertaining to the river's history, curated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston.
Hudson River Maritime Museum blog Blog of the Kingston museum, written by museum curators and educators. Content includes text and images of maritime activities on the Hudson River.
Hudson River Valley Heritage "Explore digital collections from libraries and cultural heritage institutions that document the rich history of New York’s Hudson River Valley. Discover photographs, diaries, correspondence, artwork, publications, oral history interviews, and more."
Hudson River Valley Institute Home page of the regional heritage center based out of Marist University. Publishes the journal Hudson River Valley Review.
Hudson River Valley Institute Links Webpage with links to websites addressing a variety of regional history topics.
Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History This Hudson-based non[profit organization is a research center devoted colonial New York under English rule, a period lasting 109 years.
Library of Congress Digital Collections Online access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Official website of Columbia County's only National Park Service site.
Mountain Top Library Digital Collection From the website: "This collection includes a variety of materials including historic postcards, genealogical records, and photographs related to the mountain top communities in the Catskill region, including locations such as Hunter, Widnham, Prattsville, and Twilight Park."
New Netherland Institute The independent, non-profit institute has been transcribing, translating, and publishing the official 17th-century Dutch colonial documents for decades.
New York Heritage Digital Collections From the website - "This site is a research portal for students, educators, historians, genealogists, and anyone else who is interested in learning more about the people, places and institutions of New York State. The collections represent a broad range of historical, scholarly, and cultural materials held in libraries, museums, and archives throughout the state. Collection items include photographs, letters, diaries, directories, maps, books, and more."
New York Slavery Records Index Hosted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, "The New York Slavery Records Index is a searchable compilation of records that identify individual enslaved persons and their owners, beginning as early as 1525 and ending during the Civil War."
New York State Census Digital Collections New York State Library page that includes digitized primary source state census material from the 19th century. Includes links to other valuable pages.
New York State Census Records Page that shows county-by-county listings of the New York state censuses available on microfilm at the state library in Albany. According to the Rochester Genealogical Society's website, "New York State took a census every ten years from 1825 to 1875. They also took a census in 1892; then every ten years from 1905 to 1925. The early census was as much interested in agricultural production as in the number of inhabitants. Only the name of the head of household is listed from 1825 to 1845. Many of these early census records have been lost." In addition, from the same website: "Existing original census records are usually in the County Courthouse or with the County Historian."
New York State Historic Newspapers From the website: "The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York's unique history."
New York State Library Instagram Images of a variety of items from the collections of the New York State Library, with accompanying descriptive text.
Olana State Historic Site Official website.
Old Fulton New York Post Cards Digitization project of a Fulton, NY man that features digitized images of historic newspaper pages, postcards, and more.
Sanborn Maps at the Library of Congress "The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online Checklist provides a searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company."
Thomas Cole National Historic Site Official website.
United States Census Bureau This site contains a wealth of demographic information on all 50 states, plus cities and towns, in addition to economic information. Site includes maps and infographics.
Vedder Research Library Owned and operated by the Greene County Historical Society, the Vedder Research Library in Coxsackie houses the most comprehensive genealogical, historical and archival collection in Greene County.

Primary Sources on the Internet

Below are some websites offering primary sources. Before trusting a website, evaluate it to ensure credibility.

The British Museum online collections The digital collection allows access to almost four and a half million objects in more than two million records. High definition images can be enlarged and examined in detail.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Click on "Scriptures and Study" and under "Prophetic Teachings" you can locate teachings of church leaders and more.
Congress.gov Official website for U.S. government information. Includes text of congressional bills, treaties, a link to U.S. founding documents and more.
Digital Vatican Library Provides free access to the Vatican Library’s digitized collections of manuscripts and incunabula.
The Holy See Official website of The Vatican. Includes the texts of letters, papal speeches, prayers, and more. A timeline allows users to search for these documents from several recent popes.
Library of Congress This site is a treasure trove of primary source documents for American historical research. On the home page, look at the items listed under “Collection Highlights.” See the collection of photographs, historic newspapers, and American Memory. American Memory is devoted to U.S. history.
U.S. House of Representatives Open Government In order to operate as transparently as possible, the House provides to the public a variety of disclosure documents, legislative resources, and video archives. Video archives are searchable back to the late 1970s.
The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies An online version of one of the primary sources of the U.S. Civil War (70 volumes, published in 1880-1901 by the War Records Office). Searchable. Part of the "Making of America" series by Cornell University Library.
The White House Official Web site.
World War I Document Archive Collection of documents including treaties, personal narratives and correspondence created by the World War I Military History List and based at Brigham Young University.

Online Video Sources

ESPN Videos An assortment of video clips from ESPN, updated several times daily.
Library of Congress Webcasts Browse the menu on the left side of the page to find webcasts on your subject. Site also includes audio files.
Moving Image Archive "This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts. Many of these videos are available for free download."

Digital history guide - Childrose: Websites