Town’s history goes digital

Port Hedland’s history is set to go digital as the Town has allocated funding in the next financial year to preserving the Town’s Local History Collection.

On display at the South Hedland Library, the Town of Port Hedland has allocated $75,000 in the 2017-18 annual budget to the Local History Collection’s digitisation project.

Mayor Camilo Blanco said the project aimed to make the collection more accessible and prevent the deterioration of the collection.

“One of the main components is a collection of photographs which were donated to the Town by a local family,” he said.

“Having digitised images ensures that they will remain available for the public well into the future, and assist to mitigate the risk of damage to original items.”

The items available in the collection range from photographs and newspapers through to maps and plans of the Port Hedland and surrounding area.

According to the Town, the collection has evolved over a period of time and has been built through a variety of methods including donations, as well as staff adding to the collection.

The collection is open to all members of the community to review and be involved with.

When finished, the collection will be available through the Town’s website and at the library.