 has awarded $24,820 in funding to the Denton Public Library (DPL) under its Texas Treasures grant program.){kind=link}
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has awarded $24,820 in funding to the Denton Public Library (DPL) under its Texas Treasures grant program. The Library will use these funds to digitally archive issues of the Denton Record-Chronicle (DRC), beginning with issues published in 1908 through the end of 1938.
With this grant, the DPL begins a multiphase plan to digitally archive DRC issues from 1908 to present-day. This project will result in the digitization and free accessibility of all issues of the DRC.
“The DRC is one of the oldest surviving newspapers in Denton County, and digitally preserving it will allow researchers, archivists, and Denton residents to access the rich history of Denton,” said Laura Douglas, Emily Fowler Assistant Branch Manager and head of Special Collections.
The digitized images will be added to the collection of Denton County newspapers accessible through the University of North Texas Libraries’ Portal to Texas History. This project is one of 44 statewide projects made possible this year by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the TSLAC under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
“Communities in every corner of Texas will benefit from the resources that have been made available through this list of forward-thinking grant proposals,” said TSLAC Director Mark Smith.
TSLAC awards competitive grants annually as funding allows. For 2020, TSLAC has awarded approximately $1.23 million in competitive grants. The TexTreasures Grant will provide assistance and encouragement to 12 libraries, including DPL. It will also provide access to DPL’s special collections to library users across the state.
“The unique and special collections housed in Texas are a priceless resource, and these projects will make them available to more people,” said Smith. “It is especially encouraging to see the fruitful ways that libraries and nonprofits have come together to collaborate to ensure that these collections are accessible and known to the people.”
The Denton County Newspaper Collection can be viewed at https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/DENCNP/.