Winnetka Talk records now available online through historical society, library partnership
Nearly every edition of the “Winnetka Talk” is now available online thanks to a partnership between the Winnetka Historical Society and the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District.
Beginning in 1913, the “Winnetka Talk” has published for over 100 years. Those interested in searching the archives just need a Winnetka-Northfield library card and access to the library website at wnpld.org.
The project began in March according to a news release from the Winnetka Historical Society and was expected to take 12 months but was announced complete on Nov. 20.
Mary Trieschmann, executive director of the Winnetka Historical Society, said due to copyright rules, searches could initially only be done in house at the library. Eventually the Chicago Tribune, who owns Pioneer Press that the “Winnetka Talk” is published under, agreed to allow library cardholders to search the copies online with their card number.
The system is able to search photo and advertisement captions as well, according to Trieschmann, “you can search anything.”
The historical society has been looking to digitize the records for years but after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the museum to close twice, the need became even more apparent. Further stressing this was the knowledge that some issues the historical society owned appeared to be the only remaining copies.
The partnership looked to Digital Archive Group, a Buffalo Grove based company, to get the job done. The company has also worked with organizations including the Chicago Cubs and Jim Beam.
“With the digitization of the collection, WHS and WNPLD’s goal of making this resource more accessible has been realized,” read the news release. “The digitized collection helps ensure that the historic issues of the ‘Winnetka Talk’ will remain available for future generations. We hope that the community will enjoy exploring the archive and learning more about our area’s fascinating history.”
