About the Project
Early in 2003, Los Gatos Public Library began a
local history project in response to a community that loves its
cultural heritage. Staff set about organizing and cataloging existing
library materials of an historic nature, some dating to the 19th
century. Many of the items are fragile and needed to be stored in
appropriate acid-free containers. A small Local History Room was
established at the library in order to provide work space for staff and
volunteers and to increase security for the many valuable and
irreplaceable materials in our archives
The library was soon joined in its preservation efforts by the Museums
of Los Gatos. Both the public library and the history museum wish to
preserve and make accessible those materials which can help residents
know and better understand the community’s heritage. Both
organizations have limited staff and funding, but both also have
valuable, important, and often complementary collections relating to
our history. The idea of a partnership, formed especially in an effort
to digitize our historic images, seemed like a natural thing to do. The
two institutions had existed “side-by-side” for
many years, and in fact are located across-the-street from each other,
but had not worked together in a significant way in the past.
In order to obtain funding for the digitization project, the library
and museum applied for grants as partners. Those efforts met with
success as some grant money was awarded and gifts were received from
the community and beyond. Funding was adequate to support a part-time
librarian for oversight and management of the project, and to purchase
a server and software to host the photographic images. This beginning
soon evolved into plans for a large shared database of historic images
available over the Web, a book from Arcadia Publishing titled Images of
America: Los Gatos, published in 2004, and a state-of-the-art
documentary film, Los Gatos: Then and Now, created in 2005 in
collaboration with Lyric Media of Los Gatos. The film represents a
unique partnership between a public agency (the library), a non-profit
agency (the museum), and a private enterprise.
Approximately 75 individuals and 25 companies, organizations, clubs and
associations have contributed money, equipment or time to
“Hooked on Los Gatos/ the Library and Museum History
Project.” About 35 family collections will be represented in
our cooperative database. To date, nearly 3,000 historic photographs,
maps, death records and other materials have been scanned, and many
will become available on this site as the project progresses. The Los
Gatos Weekly Times has generously allowed scanning of their archives.
Students, researchers, genealogists and people who love history will
appreciate the wealth of information available about Los Gatos as the
project develops.
Research is usually necessary to date and identify historic images.
(Please click
here to access the Local History Mystery pages on our site,
and see if you can help.) If you are able to donate your time as a
volunteer for the history project, please contact Susan Buxton,
Volunteer Services Coordinator for the town of Los Gatos.
Donations are gratefully accepted, and monies will be placed in the
joint library and museum history project trust fund maintained by the
town. Checks should be made out to “Los Gatos Public Library
– Digitize” and sent to:
Los Gatos Public Library
110 E. Main St.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Do you have pre-1975 photographs of Los Gatos to share? Please contact
history librarian Paul Kopach at pkopach@losgatosca.gov
or library director Peggy Conaway at pconaway@losgatosca.gov