The Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre proudly announces the completion of its expansive Newspaper Digitization Project, with over 12,000 newspapers from 25 different Bruce County newspaper titles, dated generally between 1861-1930, now available for public viewing online.
“Historic newspapers recorded the social, political, personal, and economic events that influenced the development of our communities,” says BCM&CC Archivist Deb Sturdevant. “The ability to read this content online will enable many more researchers, and those curious about Bruce County history, to explore our past and learn more about this area’s fascinating history! The search functions of the website may further help researchers find previously undiscovered information or details about their families and communities.”
The BCM&CC began planning for this project in 2019 with digitization beginning in 2021 following the acquisition of grant funding by the Province of Ontario through the Municipal Modernization Program (Intake 2), and with additional funding provided in part by the Federal Museum Assistance Program.
The project marks a significant undertaking for the Museum, both in length and skill. Instances where original copies from the BCM&CC Collection were of adequate quality involved hours of preparation, unfolding dog-eared pages, and repairing tears. In other cases, the process required researching the location of master negative microfilm reels and arranging for their use.
The project opens new doors for researchers, and anyone involved in private study, who can now search the newly digitized papers by title and location across local municipalities. Content can be searched by keyword, but casual browsing is encouraged, with accessibility found anywhere with an internet connection.
“The Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre team has done fantastic work creating an innovative way to modernize a museum service through this digitized historic newspaper collection. Our communities, and our many museum patrons, can now connect with Bruce County’s rich history so much easier,” adds Bruce County Warden Janice Jackson.
The collection and an accompanying FAQ can be viewed online at https://newspapers.brucemuseum.ca
Learn more about the Municipal Modernization Program
On June 30, 2021, Bruce County was awarded $436,150 under the Province of Ontario’s Municipal Modernization Program (Intake 2 – Implementation Stream), to help improve the delivery of critical programs and services that people rely on every day. This funding, paired with the County’s contribution, is being used to support the development and implementation of four projects, including:
- Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre Newspaper Digitization
- Municipal Operations Digital Integration Platform (MODIP)
- Archeological Management Plan – Integrity Layer
- Cityworks (ESRI) Permits, Licencing, and Land (PLL) Implementation.
On February 24, 2020, Bruce County was awarded $300,000 under the Province of Ontario’s Municipal Modernization Program (Intake 1). This funding was used to support the commissioning of five reviews, which were completed in December 2020. These reviews included:
- Findings and Recommendations: Land Use Planning – Cityworks Permits, Licencing and Land (PLL)
- Bruce County Land Use Planning Division Structure, Service Delivery Model, Roles and Responsibilities Review
- Bruce County Land Use Planning Service Review (Official Plan Best Practices)
- Bruce County Land Use Planning Services Review (Development Fees)
- Bruce County Land Use Planning Services Review (MOA)
