GRPL’s New Tool = Free Time Machine for Digging Up Grand Rapids Lore & Old-School Finds
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New Website Lets You Search Grand Rapids History from Home
Well, well, well… look who just made it super easy to dig up the dirt on old Grand Rapids.
The Grand Rapids Public Library (shoutout, GRPL) just dropped an online tool that lets you search through decades of local newspapers, and it’s all free.
If you’ve ever wanted to dig into the history of your neighborhood, look up old family stories, see what life was like in Grand Rapids a hundred years ago, or find the juicy tidbits from ages gone by, now you can.
The Grand Rapids Public Library has launched an entirely new online tool that is free, easy-to-use and that lets anyone search and explore digitized Grand Rapids neighborhood newspapers from 1893 to 1963.
Here’s an example of something I found today:
.
Santa Claus Parade on Monroe Avenue at Ottawa in downtown Grand Rapids.
Photo shows the parade floats spelling out “Toyland”.
This annual Christmas parade was sponsored by Wurzburg’s Department Store.
Photo taken on November 19, 1938.
Fanny Farmer, visible on the left was located at 98 Monroe.
What Kind of GR Lore Can You Find?
The good stuff. This isn’t just big newspaper headline history. Instead, you’re going to find neighborhood and family details, school sports scores, church picnics, business ads, wedding announcements, that time your great-uncle won the pie-eating contest.
The everyday stories that tell you what life was really like in Heritage Hill before it was Heritage Hill.
Old Newspapers in the Mix
- The Grand Rapids Herald
- The Burton Heights Record
- Southwest Community Alliance
- Madison Square Sun
- Creston News
- West Side News.
These papers are packed with stories that usually get left out of the history books. And now anyone can access them, without having to come into the library or scroll through reels of microfilm.
Another fun thing I found today:
1935.
Ramona grandstands filled with people entertained by a band, set up under a tent on a baseball field.
Director, Paul Whiteman, is visible in a white suit. School house in the background.
Another Reason to Be Proud of GRPL: They’re Paying It Forward
Digitizing newspapers? Not easy.
Getting old newspapers online is a beast. The files are huge, the formatting is messy, and the tech it takes to make everything searchable and user-friendly? It’s way more complicated than scanning a stack of photos, so a lot of public libraries don’t even try. The infrastructure and funding hurdles are just too big.
But GRPL didn’t just tackle the problem, they built a solution that other libraries can use, too.
The tool they created is open-source (translation: free to use, modify, and share). It runs on a platform called CollectiveAccess, built specifically for projects like this. And the developers behind it are on the same page about keeping the whole thing affordable and accessible. (This work was made possible in part thanks to generous support from the Friends of the Grand Rapids Public Library.)
GRPL will be presenting the project at the American Library Association conference this summer so that other libraries can learn how to bring their own newspaper archives to life.
Go Ahead, Get Nosy
GRPL just handed us the keys to the Grand Rapids lore vault so it’s time to get to work. Click around. Chase a rabbit hole. This is going to be fun!
PS – If you find something fun please be sure to tell us about it!
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