December 14th, 2010:
It’s the holiday season! It’s the time of year for parties, baking cookies and giving gifts to friends and family. Why not give something different or unique like a handcrafted basket or pottery made right here in North Carolina? This month the GHL’s theme is a celebration of the state’s arts and crafts heritage. Western North Carolina in particular, has a long tradition of craftsmanship and still remains a haven for artisans of all kinds. So, instead of fighting for a parking space at the mall or ordering online, head out to the western part of the state to purchase handmade items for those on your list.
Here are two books that will assist you in your journey for that one-of-a-kind gift. Both books lists names and locations of studios, galleries and shops found throughout western North Carolina.
-Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina by Jay Fields and Brad Campbell
-Handcrafted in the Blue Ridge by Irv Green and Andrea Gross
Whether you’re new to our digital collections or a long-time user, we hope you’ll enjoy the site we’re formally 
launching today: the North Carolina Digital Collections. Staff at the State Archives and State Library have designed this website together, with the goal of combining resources and giving users a more streamlined experience when searching for digital images, publications, or other documents.
This site has all of the content from the Library’s Digital Repository and a lot of the content available from the Archives’ Online Projects, with more to come. You’ll see popular collections like North Carolina Family Records online and State Publications, as well as collections like Carolina Christmas and the Archives’ Treasures, which are new additions to this interface. Plus, you can keyword search across all of our digital collections from one location or choose which collections you’d like to search using the Advanced Search page.
Let us know what you think!
This blog is a service of the State Library of North Carolina, part of the NC Department of Cultural Resources. Blog comments and posts may be subject to Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
