The Pelham (New Hampshire) Historical Society has earned special recognition for having the most modernized and informational historical Web site in the state. At a ceremony held recently at the New London, N.H., Historical Society complex, the Hayes-Genoter History and Genealogy Library, founded by Pelham historian William Hayes, and Web site designer Karen Genoter, received "The 2009 Research and Documentation Award" from the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire, Inc.
On the award-certificate, the AHSNH judges recognized Hayes' and Genoter's "dedication and contribution to local history within the State of New Hampshire."
The web site uses the latest digital-conversion technology and document-enhancement software to post town meeting reports, gravestone etchings, and archived news articles in a searchable database on the Internet. According to William Hayes, "we became the first historical library to grant historians, genealogists, students and casual readers round-the-clock access to literally hundreds of thousands of pages of (information) relating to the Pelham's history."
For historians, having an online library is superior to maintaining a traditional paper library in that it does not require staff, limited hours of operation, buildings, utilities and other costs usually associated with the traditional "paper" library, added Hayes.
"Also, access to our online library (www.pelhamnhhistory.org) is free," Hayes said.
