OCEANSIDE — The Oceanside Historical Society and Public Library are putting out a call for historical photos dating from the 1970s and earlier.
A focused need is photos from the 1960s and 1970s.
“We share a mission with the Historical Society,” Monica Chapa Domercq, principal librarian, said. “We’re both interested in preserving local historical information through photos.”
Donated photos will be used in an upcoming Historical Society lecture and photo book that will celebrate the city’s 125th anniversary.
Photos will also be archived by the Historical Society and be available for public viewing, research and reprints.
Residents are encouraged to bring family photos of homes, businesses, places and events to the Civic Center Library on Jan. 12. A high-resolution scanner will be set up to copy photos and allow families to keep the originals.
A similar call for photos was held a few years ago. It allowed residents to learn a bit about Oceanside history and share memories that went along with their photos.
“They talk about those things they remember, their family members, people who founded Oceanside — it’s a neat gathering,” Chapa Domercq said.
The Historical Society began actively seeking photos 25 years ago in preparation to celebrate the city’s 100th anniversary. Since then its photo collection has grown to include more than 50,000 images.
Historical Society volunteers regularly photograph the changing cityscape and document major building projects. The Historical Society also works with local newspapers to acquire photos.
Photos donated by residents add images of everyday life to the collection and capture a unique sense of time and place.
“Personal photos have that value of an intimate perspective,” Chapa Domercq said.
“It’s a glimpse into a time capsule to see how things changed,” Kristi Hawthorne, Oceanside Historical Society board president and author, said.
The Photo Project Workshop will be held at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 12 at the Civic Center Library Community Rooms. It will include a brief lecture on Oceanside history and tips on preserving family photos.
Oceanside will celebrate its 125th anniversary July 3. Commemorative events will be held throughout the year.
