Enhanced design and new features on Auckland Libraries’ Heritage Images database provide a fresh look and better searching for its 100,000+ historical images.
Heritage Images is an online database that contains photographs and maps from Auckland Libraries’ internationally recognised Sir George Grey Special Collections.
The database covers a wide range of topics including family history, portraits, architecture, advertising, photographers, maritime history, fashion, sports and the history of Auckland and New Zealand.
It was a decade ago when Heritage Images Online first launched. Though praised for its innovation at the time, technology upgrades have led to changes to the database, making it easier for customers to search for the libraries' historically significant material.
Customers can now limit search results by selecting to view records with colour images only, maps only, or exclude records that are without images.
More thumbnails are displayed on the page saving researchers time when viewing large results. There is also a 'Latest additions' link that brings up recently added material so customers can glance anything new that’s of interest.
Pre-defined searches and slideshows have also been created. These include 'Image of the day', 'Through the decades' and 'Librarian’s choice'. This improvement enables customers to explore the digital collection without having to create their own searches.
There are many other changes, some of which relate to new content within the database. Records from Auckland Libraries’ online map database have been incorporated into Heritage Images. Over 33,000 images through an ongoing project to digitise Auckland Weekly News supplements have also been added. These new additions complement the 70,000 existing records created from the library’s photograph collection.
>> Explore Heritage Images.
Photo: Unidentified group in a dinghy, 1910, 2-V1404.