Winnetka Talk Digital Archive Now Available
November 22, 2023
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The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District and the Winnetka Historical Society are thrilled to announce the launch of our Winnetka Talk Digital Archive. The archive contains nearly every Winnetka Talk published since 1913 and is available online at wnpld.org to anyone with a Winnetka-Northfield library card.
For over a century, the Winnetka Talk has been consistently sharing news of Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth. The weekly periodical covers a variety of stories, from human interest to high school sports to local business updates and everything in between. These stories are often accompanied by photos, providing both an informational and visual glimpse at life in our community at any given time.
The Winnetka Historical Society (WHS) has an extensive collection of the Winnetka Talk containing nearly every issue published since 1913. While the value of digitizing the collection had been apparent for some time, the museum’s closure in 2020 and again in 2021 as a result of the ongoing pandemic made even clearer the need to share historical information digitally. In late 2021, WHS staff began seriously discussing potential ways to digitize the Winnetka Talk collection. The scope of the project was daunting, but the need to prioritize access to and preservation of the newspaper was clear.
As fate would have it, staff at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District (WNPLD) simultaneously had the same thoughts about the collection. Beginning in March 2022 and picking up in earnest that summer and fall, both WHS and WNPLD researched digitization companies that had the ability to handle such a large, significant project.
Throughout the information-gathering stage, it came to light that some of the issues in WHS’s collection represented the only known copies. This was one of the many reasons that WNPLD’s board understood the significance of the collection and agreed to allocate funding for the digitization project.
After a number of on-site assessments, WHS and WNPLD agreed that the Buffalo Grove-based Digital Archive Group was the best digitization company for the job. Having worked with organizations like Jim Beam, the Chicago Cubs, and Harpo Studios, it was clear that the company had the requisite experience. WHS and WNPLD staff were particularly impressed with CEO Jeff Kelch’s appreciation for history and his experience handling historic documents. Kelch’s careful and considerate handling of this priceless collection, coupled with his naturally upbeat demeanor, made working with the Digital Archive Group seamless and enjoyable.
Over a year in the making, the Winnetka Talk Digital Archive is now available online to anyone with a Winnetka-Northfield library card and at either library location to the general public. In addition, the library has many other searchable archives available like the Chicago Tribune. With the digitization of the collection, WHS and WNPLD’s goal of making this resource more accessible has been realized. 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.
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