The University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections continues to break new and interesting ground with one of their latest offerings, which happens to focus in on Alaska and the Canadian provinces of Yukon Territory and British Columbia. With extensive archival holdings in both areas, they are certainly well poised to do so, and this particular collection includes visual materials related...

The mission of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys is "to determine the potential of Alaskan land for production of metals, minerals, fuels, and geothermal resources." The homepage features a "Headlines" area that includes mining reports, links to press releases, and a fascinating interactive map of quaternary faults and folds that will be of great interest to geologists....

Back in 1962, Seattle played host to a World's Fair, but over fifty years prior to that, the Emerald City hosted the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. In 1909, on the grounds of the University of Washington campus, the Exposition was held to showcase the various accomplishments of the region, and it was quite a success. A number of organizations are gearing up to celebrate the centennial of the...

Many states have begun elaborate and well-funded digital archive projects in order to increase the accessibility of compelling historical materials from their area, and Alaska's very worthwhile effort is the latest to reach us here at the Scout Report. The project is being directed through the leadership of the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Consortium Library at the...

There's a great deal of history up north in Alaska, and the Alaska Digital Library has done a lovely job of digitizing a number of items from a variety of area institutions. This project was initiated by the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and the Alaska State Library in Juneau. The initiative has already digitized several thousand images, and many of them are organized...

The basic premise of Alaska's Digital Archives is quite simple: to provide a single easy-to-use way for institutions across the state to share their historical resources. A vast swath of history is covered here, from the world of the Inuit to the rough and tumble gold rushes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can wander through the FAQ area for a bit of an orientation, check out the Help...

The Albert S. Cook Library at Towson State University offers a remarkable variety of materials related to the history of this Maryland institution, along with photographs of campus life, course catalogs, and items related to the Baltimore Hebrew Institute. First-time visitors may wish to look over the What's Your Story area, which features interviews with new freshmen about their experiences on...

The Cuban Heritage Collection of the University of Miami Libraries was a recipient of 17 original illustrations by Alberto del Pozo in 1998 from the Campilli family. "The Oricha Collection" is their gift, and it contains illustrations in pen, crayon, and ink and the collection "pays homage to the primary gods and goddesses that comprise the Afro-Cuban religion of Santer'a." The "Introduction"...

“The Rock”, the oft-used vernacular phrase used to describe Alcatraz, is perhaps one of the Bay Area’s most dramatic landscapes, and certainly it’s best known island. Over the past several hundred years, it has served at times as a place for protest by Native Americans and a place of incarceration for some of America’s most hardened (and colorful) criminals. The National Park Service recently...

That legendary man of letters, Samuel Johnson, once opined that “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult”. Over the centuries, many have shared at least part of Johnson’s sentiment as regards the temptations offered by spirits, and just as many have concerned themselves with the cause of cautioning others about alcohol and its potentially pernicious effects. The good people...