Thank you all so much for voting for the news stories you want to see digitized. The voting period has ended, and we’re going to start using your suggestions to choose which footage we’ll digitize and stream on our website. We hope to have our choices made by the end of April 2013 and to start streaming materials sometime after that. more >

Affordable housing has always been an issue on Boston. Our collections have any number of stories related to the topic, including protests, press conferences, political campaign promises, and personal stories. It was exactly 45 years ago today that one of the most unique and memorable protest occurred, led by Mel King, in the South End. In 1968 housing on the corner of Dartmouth and Columbus in the South End was leveled. On April 25th of that year, Mel King and other community activists held a sit-in at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) office to protest disregard of the displacement of the residents during urban renewal. There they learned that the Dartmouth and Columbus lot was being turned into a parking lot. So on April 26th, another group, still led by Mel King, arrived at the South End lot to protest the plan, arguing that the community would be better served by the building of affordable housing than by a parking lot. The police came, and, even though the officer in charge was sympathetic to the cause, King and 28 other people were arrested for refusing to clear the area. They were all released pretty much right away. more >

Even though winter is quick to remind us that it isn’t over just yet (see last week’s snow storm) spring is in the air up here in Maine. The days are longer and I am starting to think about getting outside again. One of the biggest signs for me that spring has finally arrived is the Boston Marathon. With the race coming up in a couple weeks I did a quick look through the WCVB collection to see what kind of footage we have of past marathons. I am particularly interested in footage during the 1970’s as my Dad ran the Boston marathon several times during that decade. All of these races were before I was born, but I cheered him on through many other marathons throughout my childhood and heard stories of the Boston Marathon. It was given special status in my household, as was Bill Rodgers, the winner of the race every time my Dad ran it. As a result I have never visited Boston without a trip to Bill Rodgers Running Center in Faneuil Hall Market Place. more >