The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is proud to announce the launch of possibly the largest online collection of aviation images in the world.
By using Flickr.com, the entire SDASM Library & Archives digitized photo collection will eventually be viewable via the internet anywhere in the world. To date, 64,000 images have been uploaded, and more than 100,000 digitized images should be online before the end of the year. The aviation-related subjects include foreign and domestic military and civilian aircraft, the Flying Tigers, aviation-related biographic photos, the Ryan Aeronautical Archive, and the Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) archive. The project, with assistance from the Balboa Park Online Collaborative, has been made possible by a generous grant from the Legler Benbough Foundation.
Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum said, “We are very excited about getting our special collection online. This has been a goal of ours for a long time, and it is wonderful to finally see it come to fruition. Sharing this incredibly unique image archive with the world is one of our key missions.”
The images can be tagged or commented upon by the viewing public to add information to the data on each image. All of the images on the site are available for purchase in high resolution for publication or personal use. By digitizing the photos, SDASM makes the images more accessible and preserves them for future generations. View the SDASM photo collection at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/
The SDASM Library & Archives houses one of the world’s largest collections of aerospace still and moving images, including images of approximately 95 percent of aircraft ever conceived. In total, the collection contains nearly two million photos, negatives, slides and transparencies, plus thousands of films and videos. In addition to the images on Flickr.com, indexes to the Museum’s collections of films, videos, and other audio-visual materials are currently being added to AeroCat, the Library & Archives online catalog.
The SDASM is one of several cultural institutions within Balboa Park currently working with BPOC’s rapid capture stations to digitize archival images and publish their collection data online. The Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego Hall of Champions and the San Diego History Center (formerly the San Diego Historical Society) all plan to launch similar online collections in the coming months.
Balboa Park Online Collaborative was created to fundamentally change the way museums, cultural arts and science institutions in Balboa Park approach the use of online technology. It is intended to make online technology an integral part of the way the institutions fulfill their missions, interact with patrons, and collaborate, to improve their technology capabilities while reducing costs by bringing organizations with similar needs together on mutually beneficial projects. Visit www.bpoc.org for more information.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and it was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums. Currently on display: The Science Of…Aliens, a special exhibition that explores the real possibilities of alien life. Visit www.sandiegoairandspace.org for more information. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with admissions until 4:00 p.m. *After Memorial Day, the Museum closes at 5:30p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
