Skip to content

About

About the St. Louis County Library Digital Archives

Mission and Purpose

The purpose of the St. Louis County Library Digital Archives is to make available records of historical and genealogical value, such as directories, newspapers, photographs, and publications about St. Louis County history. This project is supported by a Digital Imaging Grant Under the Provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

 

Audience, Purpose, and Use of Materials

Community members utilize original materials that document the history of their community for various reasons, including family and historical research. Local history materials capture the story of the community and can be used to share this story with younger generations.

 

Collection Overview

The St. Louis County Library’s Digital Archives will prioritize the following subject materials for collection:

  1. St. Louis County history (e.g. Landmarks, people, events)

  2. St. Louis County records conducive to genealogical research (e.g. Directories, newspapers, yearbooks, maps/atlases)

  3. St. Louis County Library historical materials (e.g. Flyers, pamphlets, memorabilia)

  4. St. Louis City records that SLCL has and which are not accessible elsewhere

  5. Non-St. Louis County yearbooks

  6. Metro-Illinois resources

  7. Other Missouri directories

 

Criteria for Selection

  • Relevance: Materials must contain content relevant to and consistent with the mission of the Digital Archives.

  • Value: Materials must possess intrinsic, past, present, and potential value supporting community needs or public demand.

  • Reliability: Materials should represent various viewpoints, but reliability of sources will be assessed.

  • Authenticity: Materials must demonstrate authenticity and originality (not photocopies or duplicated digital copies).

  • Geography: St. Louis County, the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Missouri are the primary focus of all digital collecting initiatives. This does not preclude the addition of materials from a broader geographical area.

 

Formats Collected

  • Formats accepted include physical paper and born digital resources

    • H&G cannot guarantee the digitization or exhibition of any accessioned collection. For analog media formats, H&G cannot guarantee the digitization or accessibility to researchers for all formats donated.

  • H&G especially seeks collections and documents of primary and secondary sources that will build on current collection strengths as well as enhance underrepresented time periods and people. 

  • Papers and records of individuals, both personal and professional, and businesses, institutions, and organizations with an emphasis on underrepresented communities.

  • Serials and monographs including, but not limited to, those from: 

    • Businesses (chambers of commerce, individual businesses) (selected and limited);

    • Local governments and utilities (selected and limited); 

    • Social and religious organizations (clubs, churches, etc.) (selected and limited);

    • Special interest organizations (lifestyle, sports) (selected and limited)s

    • Schools and colleges without an institutional archive (selected and limited)

    • Newspapers from the state (comprehensive) 

    • Maps of St. Louis and Missouri

    • County plat maps (comprehensive)

    • Photographs by or about St. Louis County and St. Louis Countians

 

Materials Not Collected

  • While H&G actively seeks to add original St. Louis County-related materials, the mere subject matter does not guarantee acceptance.
  • H&G does not accept photocopies or digital copies of original, textual materials. H&G will accept original, textual materials and make a digital copy for the purpose of adding to the Digital Archive.
  • H&G does not typically accept digital materials that have been copied from another accessible website or archive. Example: An image downloaded from Missouri Historical Society’s online collections will not be accepted. A newspaper article downloaded from Newspapers.com will not be accepted. A genealogically significant record downloaded from a site not easily accessible to the public (via paywall or other barrier) will be reviewed for acceptance by H&G's Manager and Digital Collections Librarian.
  • Materials Not Collected include, but may not be limited to, human resource records, employee records, technical reports of a scientific or agricultural nature and theological tracts or religious teachings.
  • Reproductions of unpublished, unique, primary source items are generally not collected. Examples include items such as digital reproductions of analog items or digital items w/o the accompanying copyright, especially if the original belongs to another institution.
  • Works of fiction and poetry are generally not considered for acceptance into the collections.

 

Copyright and U.S. Code § 108

Materials digitized and uploaded to the Digital Archives are so reproduced with the good faith belief that no copyright infringement is taking place. To the best of their ability, the Digital Collections Librarian and the Manager of the History & Genealogy Department investigate copyright status for all items, and upload items for public access which they believe fall under either public domain or U.S. Code § 108. Items that are deemed to be copyright restricted yet which contain significant research value to users will be made available privately, and will only be accessible to users with a Digital Archives account or on Library premises.