[Web4lib] New "Illinois Alive!" website brings central Illinois historical characters to life

[Lori Bell]

NEW “ILLINOIS ALIVE!” WEBSITE BRINGS CENTRAL ILLINOIS
HISTORICAL CHARACTERS TO LIFE 

EAST PEORIA--The Alliance Library System, the
Mid-Illinois Talking book Center and the Illinois
State Library Talking Book and Braille Service are
excited to announce the launch of a unique and
innovative new website:  “Illinois Alive!  Early
Illinois Heroes and Heroines: a Multimedia Montage.”

The site, located at http://www.illinoisalive.info, is
designed to bring important historical characters in
central Illinois to life for schoolchildren and others
interested in Illinois history, and to make the images
accessible to the visually impaired.

The site includes a variety of new and exciting
techniques to make central Illinois history more
interesting and accessible.  There are movies about
some of the historical figures, with actors or
actresses portraying them and telling their stories.
There are electronic books that feature pictures and
audio of the historical character telling their story,
so a student can read along with the text. 
Additionally, there are audio descriptions that
describe an historical image in detail for a blind or
low-vision person.

The website is set up somewhat like a museum so that a
blind or low vision individual can browse through the
site according to section and also select a specific
picture they would like to learn hear about.

“When we started this project, we found some museums
and theaters that offered audio tours and provided
audio description for their audiences, but no digital
libraries on the web that had audio description or
detailed descriptions of artifacts for the visually
impaired,” said Kitty Pope, Executive Director of the
Alliance Library System.  “With this site we hope
there is something that will appeal to everyone to
make central Illinois history come alive through the
Internet.”

Featured historical characters include former
President Ronald Reagan, who attended Eureka College;
Emma Abbott, a Peoria opera singer; Lydia Bradley,
founder of Bradley University in Peoria; Harvey Lee
Ross, founder of the city of Havana; Ange Milner, the
librarian for whom the current Illinois State
University library is named; Martha Tolton, the mother
of Father Tolton who was the first African-American
priest in the United States; Cora Benneson, an early
lawyer in Quincy; and Melinda Germann, an early doctor
in Quincy.

Other libraries participating in the project include
Milner Library, Illinois State University;
Cullom-Davis Library, Bradley University; Havana
Public Library; Melick Library, Eureka College;
Blessing Health Professions Library; Quincy Public
Library; and Brenner Library, Quincy University.


“Illinois Alive!” was funded in part by a Library
Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the
Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of
Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White.
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