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May 14, 2010
Online treasure-trove
From 1925 to 2005, the JWB/JI is now digitized.
MOLLY WINSTON
Internet users and researchers around the world can now access 3,520 issues of the Jewish Western Bulletin and its precursor publications dating from 1925 to 2005. They have now been digitized and are available on the Multicultural Canada Website and the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia.
The Bulletin, which changed its name to the Jewish Independent in 2005, has been the B.C. Jewish community’s newspaper since 1930. Currently, the paper is published 49 weeks of the year. Originally labeled the “Organ of the Jewish Community Centre,” the Jewish Western Bulletin was first published as a newspaper on Oct. 9, 1930. It superseded the Jewish Centre News, a publication that had existed under a series of names from 1925.
In serving the community, the Bulletin focused on supporting Zionism, alerting the community to antisemitic incidents and reporting on immigration issues. In addition to weighty international concerns, the paper also focused on local news, including meetings and news of local and international figures; coverage of the arts and local cultural festivals; births, b’nai mitzvah, weddings and other lifecycle milestones; and obituaries and death announcements.
The Bulletin provided a consistent record of Jewish life in British Columbia and around the world and, as the Jewish Independent, it has continued to work towards its goal, as stated by former assistant editor Bob Markin, to “cover the broad spectrum of Jewish life and advance the community, its individuals and organizations and, of course, Israel and world Jewry.”
Also available online are many of the original photographs from the Jewish Western Bulletin fonds. Digitization of the Bulletin photos is now complete, and some of the images are available to browse and search online. These photographs are available at jewishmuseum.ca. There are currently 540 online, with many more to be uploaded in the upcoming months.
Digitization is an important technology to aid in the preservation of photographs. It reduces handling of the original photograph, light exposure, and temperature and humidity fluctuations of the original photograph. Digitization creates an access copy of the original, which is used by researchers, and thereby allows the original to remain in humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, away from light and excessive handling.
Digitization is also important because it greatly increases access to collections. Having a digital surrogate of the original image allows researchers to easily find the photographs online, allowing remote access to the archives’ collections.
However, technology is both a blessing and a challenge for archives. Extremely time-consuming and expensive, digitization is usually only undertaken by volunteers and grant-based projects. JMABC received support from the National Archival Development Program, Irving K. Barber B.C. History Digitization Program, Simon Fraser University, Multicultural Canada, Canadian Culture Online Program, and THEN/HiER, all of whom made possible the digitization of the Jewish Western Bulletin newspapers. JMABC also thanks Young Canada Works and our archives intern Anna Wilkinson. These two digitization projects will increase awareness, access and preservation of these important collections.
To view the Jewish Western Bulletin digitized archives, visit multiculturalcanada.ca, SFU Digital Images, or the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia at jewishmuseum.ca/photographs.
Molly Winston is education coordinator at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia.
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