Advantage Archives

Archiving the accounts of history as told by the individuals that witnessed it is core to our mission, as is making that history easily accessible and ready available. We aim to put history at the fingertips of anyone who is interested, and connect the community to their past in a very tangible and meaningful way. Our guiding principals are:Partnerships Matter: We believe strongly in building lasting partnerships, which is why we enter into them with the intent of shouldering our fair share, and taking the burden off of the community for the ongoing costs associated with storage, hosting, development, & maintenance of the archive. We are an active participant in the community’s efforts to make their collective history more accessible. The archives offered by the library or institution are for the community, and created by the community. Newspapers Are Just The Foundation: History extends beyond the newspaper content. From the day we started Advantage, we had made a very conscious decision not to call our online search platform a “Community Newspaper Archive”, but rather a Community History Archive. After their newspapers, our library partners are adding everything from correspondence, journals, atlases, maps, vital statistics and more.The Archive Is An Engagement Tool: A Community Archive is so much more than a research data base, it is an outreach vehicle as well. The concept is simple. Explore. Discover. Learn. Share. Connect. You can reach the community In new wa.ys when it is utilized in conjunction with a social media strategyIt Requires Balance: Quality, Quantity, & Value. Our process ensures that the best balance of image quality and volume that can stretch the budget.Microfilm Matters: The history recorded in the documents from communities across the country, is a cultural asset that must be protected or be lost to the erosion of time if they remain on fragile paper. The only true way to ensure its survival, is through microfilm