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Afro-Louisiana History and Geneology

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In 1984, Dr. Gwendolyn Hall began developing a database of genealogical and historic information about 100,000 slaves brought into the Louisiana area during the 18th and 19th centuries. Dr. Hall spent years poring over these documents to compile what is perhaps the largest searchable archive of this type of information from the region. Many of the original documents can be viewed on the website. They describe in chilling detail the shipping and inventory information that was meticulously recorded by French and Spanish human-traffickers and their American buyers–records of their “property” for tax and business purposes.   

As we celebrate Black History Month this February, ibiblio is both proud and humbled to be able to provide such an accessible window into the darkest chapter of this country’s past. From the archive’s website:

There are many who have a stake in being able to freely access this data, from historians, genealogists, anthropologists, geneticists and linguists, to Americans seeking keys to their past. Dr. Hall shares with others an interest in seeing that her research and databases reach the broadest possible audience.

As you browse, for whatever purpose brings you this site, we hope the content within will help you remember the darkness of our past, acknowledge challenges of the present, and strive for the hope of our future.

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The Celestia Motherlode

Photo: http://m-a-t-h-e-s.deviantart.com/

Celestia is an explorable, 3D rendering of our universe that allows users to travel vast distances at vast speeds from the comfort of their desktops. The program contains over 100,000 stars and 10,000 galaxies and allows for user modifications and add-ons.

If you haven’t played around with Celestia, get the free download from their website, and start with the Demo. The Demo takes you on a quick tour of our solar system, zips across the galaxy to a huge red giant, then zooms out for an outside view of the Milky way.

Ibiblio hosts the Celestia Motherlode, a collection of addons surface textures, models and astronomical data, which enables Celestia users to easily create their own detailed, realistic copies of the known (and imagined) universe. Add atmospheres to planets, chase some well-known spaceships around (USS enterprise, anyone?) and follow realtime orbits of planets, moons, and stars.

Go to ibiblio’s Celestia page and start exploring!

Posted in Collections.


The Snowstorm

Photo: http://rachel93.deviantart.com/

Writing from Minnesota, this ibiblio staffer is struck by the contrast: Today is grey  and brown, damp, and a balmy 37 degrees. Last year at this time, workers were shoveling out the Metrodome, whose roof collapsed under seventeen inches of snow.

Despite the costs and inconveniences, most Americans probably look forward to a white Christmas. Join us at ibiblio in welcoming and celebrating the colder months this year with a collection of winter tales and poems from Project Gutenberg. Continued…

Posted in Collections.