CCR: CCR: About

About the Project

Colonial Connecticut Records (CCR) is a digital collection created by staff at the University of Connecticut Libraries and supported generously by the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center and the Connecticut State Library. The project aims to bring the colonial history of Connecticut alive and more accessible to users worldwide by the online delivery of the complete, digitized volumes of the Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776. By making the texts available online, not only for the University of Connecticut community but also for users worldwide, our team of digitization specialists is focusing on delivering historical Connecticut information to researchers regardless of space and time.

This project has been four years in the making and developed directly to fulfill the research needs of the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Connecticut. We would like to acknowledge the staff at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center for their expertise, equipment, and time in helping to formulate the first phase of the project. In addition, we wish to thank the staff at the Connecticut State Library who so generously donated new, high-quality images of the Public Records that are currently being used throughout CCR. These new images were digitized by Northern Micrographics from publications owned by the Connecticut State Library.

Currently, it is possible to access scanned images of all fifteen volumes by browsing an A-Z subject index, searching by date, or searching by volume and page number. Although full-text and keyword access to the text is not yet available, future phases of the project will most certainly incorporate this level of advanced access.

About the Original Materials

CCR was created by digitizing microfilm copies of the following printed volumes:

Connecticut (Colony). The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, from April 1636 to October 1776 ... transcribed and published, (in accordance with a resolution of the General assembly). Hartford: Brown & Parsons. 1850-1890. 15 vols.

The original archival materials that served as the sources for the text of the published Public Records of the Colony are housed in the State Archives at the Connecticut State Library. Because there are some differences between the texts of the documents as found in the original manuscripts and the transcriptions of those documents in the published volumes, researchers interested in using primary sources are advised to consult the originals in the State Archives at the Connecticut State Library.

CCR Accessibilty

It is the mission of the University of Connecticut Libraries to provide every patron access to all library facilities and collections to the best of our abilities. Furthermore, in accordance with the State of Connecticut website accessibility policies, CCR is being developed with universal access in mind. Currently, images in the digital collection can not be accessed online by users with visual impairment. We are working to remedy this situation and we intend to offer full-text access to this digital collection in the near future. For users who are unable to utilize CCR in its current form, please contact the CCR Project Manager, David Avery, to discuss alternate methods of access using the University of Connecticut Libraries' Assistive Technology Work Stations.

Usage Statistics

The CCR project has been available online since April 24, 2001. Online usage statistics are available from the CCR Statistics Page.

CCR in the News

In recent months, CCR has been used by thousands of people from the U.S. and abroad. We are delighted at the public response to this resource and hope that it will continue to be used by students, teachers, historians, researchers, and genealogists everywhere. Although interest in and use of CCR grows daily, we are continually interested in promoting it to our local and distributed communities. The following is a list of recent publications and publicity events which focused upon CCR and other digital collections in development by the University of Connecticut Libraries:

On July 14, 2001, CCR was featured in an article written for the Willimantic Chronicle, a newspaper published daily in Connecticut.
CCR was also featured in the September/October 2001 issue of UConn Libraries Newsletter. You can read the article on page 2.
On October 23, 2001, the University of Connecticut Libraries hosted a gala event at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center for the public debut of the Colonial Connecticut Records project. Members of the CCR Project Team were in attendance, accompanied by a panel of regional scholars and experts from the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut State Library, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. During this event, David F. Avery, CCR Project Manager, presented an overview of the project and its development. In order to view the text version of David Avery's presentation online, please follow this link. (Please note that this presentation is best viewed using Internet Explorer.)
On November 14, 2001, CCR was included in the University of Connecticut Libraries' "Digital Collections Forum," an event which was intended to update the University community about the Libraries' digital collections initiative.
On February 22, 2002, CCR was featured in the Internet Scout Report and discribed as "...a wonderful tool for historians of Colonial American History."
In the July 2002 issue of the Fiske Genealogical Foundation Newsletter Moira E. Connor authored a piece about CCR, describing the site as "...an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in New England history during the colonial period."

Project Team & Contributors

The CCR Project has been supported by many dedicated individuals throughout the University of Connecticut Libraries, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, and the Connecticut State Library.

David F. Avery, CCR Project Manager
CT Documents Collection Coordinator
Mailing Address: Research and Information Services
Homer Babbidge Library; U-100RI
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-1005
Phone: (860) 486-1252
Email: david.avery@uconn.edu

Steven K. Wieda
Webmaster/Database Developer
Mailing Address: Information Technology Services
Homer Babbidge Library; U-100SY
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-1005
Phone: (860) 486-6029
Email: steven.wieda@uconn.edu

Heidi N. Abbey
Digital Collections Librarian
Mailing Address: Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
Archives & Special Collections
University of Connecticut Libraries
405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205
Storrs, CT 06269-1205
Phone: (860) 486-2993
Email: heidi.abbey@uconn.edu

Digital Collections Planning Team, University of Connecticut Libraries
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (Scanning, Phase I)
Electronic Scriptorium (Scanning and populating the Access databases, Phase I)
Connecticut State Library (Donation of new scanned images, Phase II)

Advisory Committee for Colonial Connecticut Records (ACCCR)
CCR has quickly become a gateway for colonial history researchers. As a result, the University Libraries partnered with the Connecticut State Library and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center in order to facilitate CCR's ongoing development. In order to improve future phases of the project and solicit advice from various stakeholders throughout Connecticut, an Advisory Committee for Colonial Connecticut Records (ACCCR) has been established.

Future Phases of the Project

CCR is a work in progress. Full-text searching of all fifteen volumes is planned for future implementation. However, due to the variations in spelling, printing, and the age of the texts, this implementation will be expensive. Contributions to the project are most welcomed. If you would like to donate a valuable gift expressly to support the ongoing development and success of CCR, please contact Linda Perrone (linda.perrone@uconn.edu), Director of Development for the University of Connecticut Libraries or David Avery (david.avery@uconn.edu), CCR Project Manager, University of Connecticut Libraries.