Author Archives: Emily Nimsakont

If you’ve spent any time browsing the collections in Nebraska Memories, you have probably noticed that each item has a list of terms next to the word Subject. These are called subject headings, which is librarian-speak for words that tell you what a particular item is about. They are similar to tags that you might use to describe things on social networking sites, like pictures on Flickr. The difference is that while you can use whatever tags you want, subject headings are chosen from a specific list of words.

Why do we add subject headings to the Nebraska Memories records, and how can they help you search? For one thing, they bring together all of the items that have the same subject heading, so that you can find pictures of the same things. This is especially important in cases where different words might be used to describe the same thing. For example, the title of this photograph uses the word “automobile”, while the title of this photograph uses the word “car”. However, both of them have the same subject heading – “Automobiles.” Now that you know this, you can click on that subject headings to find all of the items relating to cars in that particular collection. if you want to find all of the images of cars in all the Nebraska Memories collections, you can go to the search page and type Automobiles in the subject field. This will help you find all the items in Nebraska Memories that show pictures of cars, or relate to cars in some way. If you know what word was used to describe them, you can be sure that you are not missing out on any car-related items.

There’s another added bonus to subject headings; they can help you narrow your search when the same word is used to mean two different things. For example, if you happened upon this photograph of William Jennings Bryan in a room used as a library, you might decide that you want to look for other rooms used as libraries. If you go to the search page and search for “Libraries” in the subject field, you will get a lot of results, including library buildings and bookmobiles, in addition to the rooms used as libraries you were looking for. If you look closely at your original picture, you will see that it was assigned the subject heading “Libraries (Rooms & spaces).” This differentiates it from items with the subject heading “Libraries”, which is used for whole buildings that function as libraries. Doing a subject search for Libraries (Rooms & spaces) brings up a much more manageable list of results, targeted to the exact thing you’re looking for.

The next time you are looking at Nebraska Memories, remember subject headings and how they can take your search to the next level.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Services Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Next week is the beginning of May, which includes the celebration of May Day on the first of the month. This holiday is often celebrated in the United States by making May baskets that are usually filled with flowers or treats and left on someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away hoping that the receiver does not catch them and if they are caught a kiss will be exchanged.

In other parts of the world, mainly Western Europe, Maypole dancing is a tradition that signals the end of winter. Participants form a circle around an erected pole to perform the dance. This pole is usually decorated with flags, flowers, garlands, etc., before the event starts. Performers revolve around the pole holding a ribbon, the other end of which is tied to the pole. They first dance in a direction intertwining the ribbon on the pole; later, they perform a similar dance in the reverse direction to unravel the intertwined ribbon.

This image in Nebraska Memories shows students at the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney) performing a Maypole dance. Maypole dances were held every May from 1912 to 1937; this photograph captures one of the earlier dances.

Many other images of campus life are available as part of the University of Nebraska at Kearney collection.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

It recently came to my attention that March is Music in Our Schools Month, a month dedicated to advocacy in favor of music education programs in schools. If you explore Nebraska Memories, you can see many images of Nebraska’s students enjoying music in their schools.

Nebraska’s schools provided opportunities for vocal music, as shown in this photograph of the Irving Junior High boys choir in Lincoln. Students also had chances to participate in instrumental music, as shown by the North High School orchestra in Omaha or the band at the Girls’ Industrial School in Geneva.

The Polley Music Library collection also includes a number of programs from musical events featuring students. These events include such concerts as those sponsored by the Nebraska Music Teachers Association, as well as Nebraska All State musical concerts.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

If you traveled during the holiday season this year, perhaps your home-away-from-home was a hotel. Compare your experiences to these images of hotels from Nebraska Memories.

Hotels in Nebraska have ranged from imposing structures, like the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha or the Ruwe Hotel in Fremont, to smaller establishments, like Wilcox House in Papillion or the Talbot Hotel in Brainard.

Nebraska Memories features views of the interiors of hotels as well. Take a glimpse inside some hotel lobbies, like those at the Hotel Loyal in Omaha or the Perkins Hotel in David City.  Some hotels had places to eat inside, like the Vineyard Cafe at the Rome Hotel in Omaha, or the dining room at the Zeeck Hotel in Papillion.

If motels and motor courts are more your style, check out the Lone Pine Court and Filling Station or Sunnyside Cottages, both located in Sidney.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Today is the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the entry of the United States into World War II. Some interesting World War II-era photographs in Nebraska Memories show Camp Atlanta, a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers that was located outside of Atlanta, Nebraska, near Holdrege. Construction began on the camp in September of 1943, and it was in operation until 1946, eventually housing 3,000 German prisoners.

The images of Camp Atlanta, part of the Phelps County Historical Society collection, give  a good overview of daily life at the camp. The German POWs served as cooks and firefighters for the camp. Some even took part in theatrical productions.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

This Friday is Veterans Day, which is observed as a holiday to honor veterans who served in all wars. However, the holiday has only been called Veterans Day in the United States since 1954. It originally began as Armistice Day, in honor of the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918, as a way of honoring the veterans of that war.

Nebraska Memories includes a few photographs of soldiers in World War I era military uniforms, including these Student Army Training Corps members at Wayne State College. Another Nebraskan, Clyde Zeilinger of David City, served as a medic during World War I and was held as a prisoner of war in Germany for two weeks. He is pictured in Nebraska Memories in his military uniform.

Perhaps the most interesting World War I items in Nebraska Memories are several pieces of sheet music for songs written during the war, all part of the Polley Music Library collection. Many of these songs exhort Americans at home to do their part to support those serving overseas, such as “Stand Behind the Man Behind the Gun.” While all of these songs were written by Nebraskans, one song in particular (“I Wanta Ask Y’u About Nebraska”) is about two Nebraskan soldiers fighting overseas during the war, reminiscing about home. One interesting note: You’ll notice that the lyrics of both of these songs refer to American soldiers as “Sammies.” This was a nickname for American troops during World War I, a reference to Uncle Sam.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Fire fighters were a part of Nebraska’s history even before statehood. The volunteer fire department in Nebraska City, founded in 1856, is the oldest fire department still in existence in the state. While we don’t have any images of the Nebraska City department, Nebraska Memories does include many images of fire fighters from around the state.

There are quite a few posed pictures of fire fighters, including the 1910-1911 Crawford fire department, the Bertrand fire department sometime around 1900, and some Lincoln fire fighters in 1898.
If you would like to see fire fighters in action, check out this series of photographs of Holdrege volunteer fire fighters battling a fire at Linder Motor Company in 1954. There are also several photographs of the destruction caused by this particular fire.
Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.
Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

It’s that time of year again – time to head back to school! Start your school year off right by exploring images of schools and education in Nebraska Memories.

Start by viewing the exteriors of schools through the years. This photograph of a schoolhouse in Sidney was taken in 1887, and it looks very different from this photograph of Bancroft School in Lincoln, taken in the 1950s.

What would school buildings be without the classroom activities inside them? This 1947 classroom at East Olive School in Butler County and this 1924 penmanship class at Bancroft Elementary School in Lincoln are just two examples of Nebraska classrooms.

In addition to classes, extracurricular activities are an important part of the school experience. Nebraska schools have had many interesting activities, including a bird lovers’ club at McKinley School in Lincoln and the David City High School men’s quartet.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.