The Pioneer Library System has collected historical photos which officials are inviting the public to help identify and explain. The photos are from each of the branch library hometown in Cleveland, McClain and Pottawatomie counties. The photos are stored online at the Flickr Web site, designed for such photo sharing projects.

During 2006 and 2007, the Pioneer Library System organized "Gathering Days" in each community during which they collected photos and documentation for historical and commemorative centennial projects. Murals for each town were created and installed in each library using part of each collection. Some of the photos also have been featured in print and video publications of the library system.

The goal now is to make the collection accessible to each community online. By asking members of the public to view their town's photos and to contribute to the descriptions, the organizers hope to make the collection more searchable and thus more valuable to viewers. For example, someone giving a high school ball team's winning photo to the collection may have been unable to name members -- now, someone else from the town may be able to supply the missing names.?

To view the photo collection:

1) Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsyk. You will be taken directly to Pioneer Library's System's photo stream on Flickr.?

3) Click on the "Collections" link at the top of the page.

4) Click on the Gathering Days Collection.

5) Click on one of the sets of photos you are interested in. Each set contains photos from each of the hometowns of the nine libraries in the Pioneer Library System.?

To make comments about individual photos, you will need to have created a free Flickr account in your name. The Web site gives instructions for that process and the steps to follow to make comments.?

The Library of Congress is doing this with some of their collections as well; visit www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress.?

To have been included in the Pioneer Library System Gathering Day process of photo collecting, thus to be included in this collection, photos must have been the property of the holder and clear of any copyright or intellectual property restrictions. By participating in the process, Gathering Day participants agreed to allow the images to be used in projects of the Pioneer Library System and the other sponsoring organizations.?

For more information, call the public information office of the Pioneer Library System at 701-2674.