The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County invites residents to turn home or building blueprints into digital files during the organization’s Scan the Plan project. Applicable dates include Saturday, March 14, from noon until 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, May 2, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
“Scan the Plan will help our region preserve historic blueprints and make them available as an information base for the entire community,” reads the press release.
Buildings must be located in Western North Carolina and at least 50 years old to qualify for a free scan.
Here is the full release from PSABC:
The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County (PSABC) and the Buncombe County Public Library will team up to offer local residents a free opportunity to turn old architectural drawings into digital images. “Scan the Plan” will help our region preserve historic blueprints and make them available as an information base for the entire community. Any local resident with blueprints of a western North Carolina home or building at least 50 years old can take advantage of the “Scan the Plan” project.
“Scan the Plan” will take place on three days during the first half of 2015: March 14th, Saturday, 12:00 – 4:30pm; April 14th, Tuesday, 5:00 – 8:00pm; May 2nd, Saturday, 11:00 – 4:00.
On these days, anyone with eligible blueprints can come to the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library and get plans digitized. The service only takes a few minutes, and participants will be able to walk away with a CD or thumb drive digitized copy, along with their original blueprint.
A copy of the blueprint scan will be added to the Library’s Architectural Collection and made accessible for future study.
Participants may also drop off blueprints prior to the scheduled dates and pick up completed scans later that week. For multiple blueprints (5 or more), a pre-scheduled scanning session for later pickup is recommended.
The North Carolina Room is on the lower floor of Pack Memorial Library at 67 Haywood Street in Asheville and can be reached at 828-250-4740.
“Scan the Plan” is a promising project,” says Zoe Rhine, Librarian, North Carolina Room. “Any architectural drawing that can be both preserved and made accessible adds to our community’s knowledge as well as to the future study of Asheville’s architecural heritage.”
“Scan the Plan” is funded by a federal grant to turn architectural drawings into digital images. Totaling $72,500, this grant was made possible through funding from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. Funding supported purchase of one large bed scanner, salaries for two part-time workers, and software that makes digital information more research-accessible. In partnership with The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, the program is just one of multiple projects made possible by the grant. Volunteer PSABC members will be assisting in digital scanning on the scheduled “Scan the Plan” dates.
“The PSABC is thrilled to be part of this project. Anything that works to preserve our region’s built environment and history is a good thing,” says Jack Thomson, Executive Director of PSABC. “Through today’s technology, these old blueprints can last forever for everyone.”
About the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to sustain the heritage and sense of place that is Asheville and Buncombe County through preservation and promotion of the unique historic resources of the region.About the NC Room at Pack Memorial Library
The North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library is part of the Buncombe County Library, Recreation & Culture Department. The North Carolina Room’s mission is to collect, acquire and preserve the history, life and literature of western North Carolina.
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