Los Gatos Weekly-Times LGHS students go hi-tech with historical photographs By Michelle Alaimo Residents will soon be able to view hundreds of Los Gatos photographs from the turn of the century without ever leaving their homes--thanks to the efforts of three Los Gatos High School students and their teacher, who are hard at work cataloguing all of the Los Gatos Museum Association pictures and artifacts online. "It puts the kids in a situation in which they feel they are doing something for their community," Kurt Anslinger, president of the association, said. The idea for the Web site came about when the museum began receiving numerous requests from people who wanted to look at photos dated before the turn of the century. Anslinger said it became hard to gain access to all the photos in a timely manner. So he decided that perhaps it was time to move the museum association into the 21st century. He contacted Los Gatos High School teacher Mike Costanzo about putting together a Web site for Forbes Mill Museum and the Los Gatos Museum. Once the wheels were in motion, Costanzo selected student Cathryn Haeffele as the project director. The junior then selected fellow juniors Bahjat Alaadel and Don Hilliker to round out her Web site construction team. The trio decided not to receive any school credit for the project but to do it as community service, Costanzo said. Both Costanzo and Anslinger said they hope the project will be ongoing through the years with students maintaining the site while being able to apply their skills in a useful way. The current team is in the process of cataloguing all the museum's archives and relics, Costanzo said. They are also working on a web page that gives hours and general information about both museums. Costanzo said the Web site will not be up and running for awhile, but when it is, the address will be http://www.lghs.net/forbesmill. Once the Web site is on its way, Anslinger said he envisions people being able to search the site for a certain type of picture. A small-scale picture will appear on the screen, and then if history buffs want a full-size picture, they can write down the corresponding number and go to the museum and buy a copy for a small charge. "What we have is really a little gem of Americana from 100 years ago," Anslinger said. He adds that many of the pictures were given to the museum by people who found them in places such as attics. "The town of Los Gatos is blessed that we have thousands of pictures from the turn of the century," Anslinger said. Costanzo admits that the museum's collection size is unknown and that the trio does not expect to finish the project this year. He said the goal is to get the project up and running and to a stage where another group of students can take over next year. The project has received some financial help in the form of grants from IBM and Hewlett-Packard for equipment, including computers and printers for the museum. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.