The history of the Depression era in Buffalo and Western New
York will gain a little more attention – and likely become more
accessible to the public – thanks to a new leadership grant
awarded to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library system. The
grant, just under $320,000, was made by the Institute of Museum
& Library Services, which awards leadership grants nationally.
The federal agency also awarded grants to 51 other museums and
libraries across the country, library officials said. The
funding directed to Buffalo is intended as a two-year grant,
library officials said, to fund an ongoing project known as “The
Public Library as Digitized Commons – A Demonstration Project.”
The project got started in 2009. The goal of the project is to
create a first-ever catalog of resources related to Buffalo’s
history from the 1920s and 1930s, according to library
officials. An aim of the project is to make the region’s
Depression-era history accessible and searchable for the public,
and to connect the public with this