The County of Brant Public Library, like many other public libraries in Ontario, is working to preserve our community’s history and make it accessible to everyone. By digitizing a variety of historical items and making them available online, anyone who has access to the Internet will be able to use and enjoy what were previously local, limited collections. Digitized collections usually include rare and old materials, which require careful handling. Some of the materials in our online collection belong to the Library, but we are lucky in that our community — including Library users, local historical groups, and others — have also donated photographs, newspapers, letters, and books for inclusion. By working with our community, we have created a large online collection that will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the County of Brant and its history.

Besides making local collections accessible to the entire world, this project also ensures that special treasures are preserved and protected. People who are willing to provide pieces of their family history for digitization sometimes raise a legitimate concern about possible damage that the process may cause to their materials. Indeed, if you own an old and fragile photograph, or a letter written by your grand-parent decades ago, you want to be sure they are carefully handled and preserved. The best way to eliminate these doubts is to find out what goes on in our Digitization Lab.