Preserving history

Do you own a piece of Civil War history connected to Southeast Missouri or Southern Illinois? If so, officials at Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library would like to speak with you as part of a survey of original materials from that period.

The project, part of the Missouri Digital Heritage Initiative, looks to document various items from the Civil War period such as letters, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs and artifacts. Notes and photographs of the items will be taken and a committee consisting of university history professors and archivists will review each for inclusion.

Those wishing to have an item included are not required to donate it, as each can be digitally preserved for use in the interactive archive website that, at completion, will be full of area history for researchers and educators.

With this year marking the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, it's an appropriate time to be thinking about America's history. And with today's technology, there are many new ways to preserve these priceless items for future generations to see.

If you have an item you think would be of interest to organizers, contact Ellen Ryan, the project's manager, at 651-2750.

Hats off to organizers as they continue working on this project, and we look forward to seeing the area Civil War treasures at the project's completion.