New York State Libraries Celebrate Erie Canal Bicentennial
The Erie Canal was started 200 years ago this year, and libraries across the state are observing it with a traveling exhibit. Titled “Two Hundred Years on the Erie Canal” it was created by the Empire State Library Network in partnership with the Digital Public Library of America, with funding from Humanities New York. It includes 4 standing posters each covering a different theme: Dreamers & Builders, Canal Culture, Yankee Ingenuity, and Moving Ideas. The posters all feature images taken from historical photographs, art and documents from the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), a website that provides access to digitized images from libraries across the country. In addition, a companion online exhibit will be available through the DPLA website in September, at https://dp.la/exhibitions . The posters will be joined by an electronic kiosk providing instant access to the online exhibit as well.