Project Overview
The Automotive History Preservation Society (AHPS) is dedicated to preserving and making accessible the rich history of the automotive industry. Recognizing the rapid disappearance of printed materials and the irreplaceable value they hold, AHPS has launched a comprehensive digital scanning project. By partnering with physical archives, we aim to create a digital source of reference material that benefits hobbyists, media, historians, and the auto industry.
Our project focuses on collecting, digitizing, and providing open access to a vast array of automotive-related printed materials. These materials include, but are not limited to, print ads, press releases, sales brochures, posters, dealer sheets, bulletins, parts catalogs, owners manuals, stylist drawings, and various other documents created by manufacturers and enthusiasts.
For more information about the project or to discuss collaboration opportunities, please contact:
Dawn Lynch
Project Manager
Automotive History Preservation Society
librarian@ahpsoc.org
Impact Statement: By preserving and providing access to these valuable materials, the AHPS project will contribute to the advancement of scholarship, education, and public engagement in the humanities. It will also help safeguard the cultural heritage of the automotive industry, ensuring that future generations can learn from and appreciate the history and evolution of automobiles.
Goals and Objectives:
Preservation:
Protect and digitize automotive historical documents to prevent loss due to physical degradation or disposal.
Accessibility:
Provide free access to digitized materials through our Digital Document Library, allowing for easy copying and distribution without harming the original documents.
Education and Engagement:
Support education and public engagement by making these materials available to a wide audience, including researchers, students, and automotive enthusiasts.
Collaboration:
Foster collaboration with libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations to expand our digital collection and ensure the long-term availability of these resources.
Historical Content Collection:
Brand Marketing
Includes Print Ads, Press Releases, Sales Brochures, Posters, Cards, Dealer Sheets, and other Artwork.
Factory Documents
Includes Bulletins, Parts Catalogs, Owners Manuals, Stylist Drawings, and other information created by the manufacturer for informational and other purposes.
Features and Articles
Features & Articles from our Magazine Archive as well as materials written and collated by our staff.
Road Tests
A collection of road tests collected from various sources including our Magazine Archive.
Service Manuals
Manuals to assist in the repair and service of a vehicle.
Technical Info & Specifications
Technical Information and Specifications Including AMA Info
Implementation Plan:
Acquisition:
Identify and acquire physical and digital collections from various sources, including private collectors, libraries, and archives.
Digitization:
Use high-quality scanning equipment and processes to digitize collected materials while ensuring the integrity and readability of the documents.
Metadata:
Develop comprehensive metadata for each digitized item to facilitate easy search and retrieval.
Management:
Maintain and update the Digital Document Library to ensure user-friendly access and navigation.
Collaboration:
Partner with other repositories and stakeholders to expand our collection and promote the use of these materials.
Sustainability and Open Access:
- Sustainable Strategies: Implement sustainable strategies for managing and preserving digital collections, including regular backups and adherence to best practices in digital preservation.
- Open Access: Ensure that all digitized materials are freely accessible to the public, observing licensing and copyright considerations to respect intellectual property rights.
Update on Website Transition and Future Plans
Our old website has experienced disruptions due to issues with our previous hosting service, AKA Wild About Cars. Despite our best efforts to collaborate with them and resolve these problems, persistent errors impeded our progress. The situation became untenable when we were unable to log into the site, leading us to the difficult decision of switching hosting companies.
We are pleased to announce that our site has now been successfully migrated to a new hosting service, and we have enjoyed its stability. This positive development allows us to proceed swiftly with transferring data from the old site. Additionally, we are excited to share that we are actively securing new donations, and we are actively working on integrating them into our collection.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this transition may have caused. We understand the importance of maintaining a reliable and accessible website and are committed to preventing such issues in the future. Your understanding and patience during this period have been greatly appreciated.
Current Document Acquisition Totals
This section refers to all Ford documents currently uploaded to our site. We are currently working on a list of donated but need to be scanned.
Total Uploaded Ford Documents
Total Brand Marketing Articles & Documents
Includes Print Ads, Press Releases, Sales Brochures, Posters, Cards, Dealer Sheets and other Artwork.
Total Factory Original Documents
Includes Bulletins, Parts Catalogs, Owners Manuals, Stylist Drawings, and other information created by the manufacturer for informational and other purposes.
Total Brand Features Articles & Documents
Features & Articles from our Magazine Archive as well as materials written and collated by our staff.
Total Road Tests from Magazine Archive
A collection of road tests collected from various sources including our Magazine Archive.
Total Factory Original Service Manuals
Manuals to assist in the repair and service of a vehicle. The manuals are accessible to members only
Total Technical Information Articles & Documents
Technical information and specifications including AMA information and documents.
Ford Document Transfer from the Old Site
This section only refers to the files transferred from the old platform. We are working as fast as we can to get them all up on this new website platform.
- Total Old Site Documents – 2533 43%
- Brand Advertisements – Total 858 79%
- Brand Brochures -Total 580 12%
- Technical Articles- Total 155 50%
- Technical Documents – Total 355 (Road Tests 166) 49%
- PR Documents – Total 581 50%
- Factory Documents – Total 3 50%
- Service Documents – Total 3 50%
For more information about the project or to discuss collaboration opportunities, please contact:
Dawn Lynch
Project Manager
Automotive History Preservation Society
librarian@ahpsoc.org
