Liberty High library teacher Adriana Perez was recently awarded a $5,000 grant through the California State Library and Local History Digital Resource Project in order to help digitalize Liberty’s yearbooks, some of which date back to the early 1900s.

As these awards are usually reserved for museums and historical societies, the grant is quite an honor. Funding will be used for training in digitalization, and soon Liberty’s long history will be available for online viewing through yearbooks and other digitalized treasures. Students have already become involved in the process by helping organize and catalog items.

Perez looks forward to collaborating with members of the East Contra Costa Historical Society to provide 200 items to the state historical online data base. These will include two entire yearbooks, pictures, graduation programs, dance cards and other artifacts that reflect life in East County communities more than a hundred years ago.

The University of California’s Calisphere Project will digitalize these items and make them available as an educational resource at www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu.

The Local History Digital Resource Project is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered in California by the state librarian.

– Contributed by Sarah Singrin