From: The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
204 S. Main, Wichita, KS 67202
204 S. Main, Wichita, KS 67202
An online local history resource available for use October 21
Funded through a Rotary Foundation Grant by the Rotary Club of East Wichita, The Rotary International Foundation, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum and a gift by J Eric Engstrom
A public reception and short program introducing the new archive was held Thursday, October 20th, at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, a sampling of pictures of which is above.
The funding awarded has enabled Museum to achieve a unique digital publishing initiative, featuring an archive of historic Sedgwick County photographs and images for use by public and private schools, home educators and the general public through a free, open access, web-based resource.
Designed to provide interactive use for students ages 7 through 18, this initiative comes at a time when teachers and schools are especially seeking easily accessible on-line content aligned with their curriculum. The site will be expandable to include an unlimited number of images. The site augments another online resource, currently under development which replaces textbooks formerly used by the public schools exposing students to stories about their own local history which are relevant to their lives.
The Museum has worked for over 80 years to collect, preserve and interpret artifacts related to local history. In that time, the Museum has become the leading educational institution for learning about our past. This unique resource utilizes a format including text, links and downloadable lesson plans meeting Kansas’ established educational standards. It too will be open access and free of charge. Students will gain a profound appreciation for community, their place in it and its place the wider world.
Dane Estok, president, Rotary Club of East Wichita, noted “Our membership is excited to help launch this new resource that promises to bring new vitality to local history education in our community.” The Club, founded in 1984, is part of Rotary International, which claims 1.4 million members around the world. It is a service organization that brings together professionals for education, community service, and fellowship. The Rotary Club of East Wichita supports its own foundation to award annual scholarships to Sedgwick County high school students attending Kansas colleges. In addition, the Club awards grants to Wichita nonprofit organizations and provides volunteers to a variety of community outreach projects. www.eastwichitarotary.org.
The Historical Museum is among America’s best museums, accredited by the American Alliance of Museum since 1972, serving the community since 1939. Today it occupies the original 1890 City Hall building and is open 6 days a week featuring dozens of exhibits and hosting programs and events throughout the year.
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main, Wichita, KS 67202
Contact for information: 316-265-9314, wschm@wichitahistory.org Website: wichitahistory.org
Museum Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 pm.
Supported in part by the City of Wichita and the Board of Commissioners of Sedgwick County Kansas