Center for Technology & Innovation, Inc., 321 Water Street, Binghamton, NY 13901,
Telephone: 607-723-8600 email: info@ctandi.org
We need your help to build a Digital Archive of Southern Tier Technology. Tell it like it was - in sales and marketing, manufacturing, research, engineering, administration and management. Your recollections and picture will be found on-line and in local libraries for your family and friends to explore.
You can volunteer for the CT & I Digital Archive project at any level:
nominate people to interview,
record a conversation with a colleague,
lend documents
for archival scanning,
help build the digital archive.
If you are interested in helping, please call 607-723-8600 or send an email to info@ctandi.org.
As you sort through material from your career, remember - When in Doubt - Don't throw it out!
CT & I can help find a good home for the mementos of your life's work.
Donations to
CT & I are always welcome and fully-tax deductible.
We need your help to build a Digital Scrapbook of Southern Tier Technology. Tell it like it was - in sales and marketing, manufacturing, research, engineering, administration and management. Your recollections, picture, and scanned documents will become available on-line and in local libraries for your family and friends to explore.
When in Doubt, DON'T throw it Out:
Guidelines for preserving records of Southern Tier Industry
The story of your career and that of your family is the story of our community, our country and our world. These stories become history when they are organized and preserved for future generations. The Southern Tier was a remarkably creative and productive community in the mid-late 20th century. Innovative products from the Southern Tier helped the U. S. win the race to the moon and changed the way the world does business. By preserving the records of your work experience for our digital scrapbook, you can help CT&I accomplish its mission to document and present in context the inventions and industrial innovations of New York's Southern Tier.
Mementos are all around us. What may seem trivial items can be valuable evidence of ideas and industry if the context of the object or document can be deciphered. We all have at least one box in the closet or one drawer somewhere with records of our working lives - letters from the boss, photos of co-workers, advertising material, news clippings, technical reference manuals, retirement party programs, sample work products – to name a just a few. These tidbits of a time gone by, while perhaps unimportant in isolation, are likely to be golden nuggets in the mosaic of history. They are worth saving.
CT&I is scanning and collecting documents and photos of Southern Tier companies of all sizes and all eras. Papers and other materials do not need to be old to be valuable. Think about whether a document is rare or whether notes of these ideas or events are likely to be found elsewhere. Don't assume that company records have been preserved. Items recalling times that you were surprised by something that happened or when you surprised yourself are of particular interest. Items likely to have historical value include:
Advertising material, such as press releases and objects with company logos
Company
publications, such as annual reports, catalogs, manuals, policy guidelines, etc.
Correspondence,
including envelopes with addresses and postmarks
Diaries, laboratory notebooks,
and personal notes
Drawings and sketches of equipment, facilities, ideas, inventions,
and products
Financial records, especially relating to inventions, manufacturing,
and procurement
Military records and documents from WWII home front industries
Newsletters
of clubs, companies, professional societies, trade organizations, unions, etc.
Objects,
especially tools, models, prototypes, and product samples
Patent records, including
applications
Photographs, especially informal shots of employees, events, workplace,
products, etc.
Scrapbooks of job-related events and material
Sound, film, and
video recordings
Staff lists, telephone directories, organizational charts, etc.
Technical
publications or unpublished materials, such as draft reports, manuscripts.
