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Happy 5th Birthday to the Flickr Commons

The Library of Congress Posted 12 years ago
January 16, 2013 marks 5 years since the launch of the Flickr Commons. The pool of images has grown to more than 250,000 from 56 different libraries, archives, and museums.

To celebrate, new Galleries feature Flickr Commons Favorites to lift your spirits, spark your curiosity, and otherwise make you look twice. Commons contributors are also preparing special sets (noted below). And you can look forward to blog posts, tweets, and more to enjoy over the next few days.

It's big collective THANK YOU to all the people who have breathed new life into historical photographs by adding identifying and contextual information, re-mixing images, or simply sending us appreciation. Over the last five years, you have created a wonderful community of conversation about pictures!

--Helena Zinkham (Library of Congress)
ninakuriloff Posted 12 years ago Edited by ninakuriloff (member) 12 years ago
Helena,

The new Galleries feature is marvelous!

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the images in the Flickr Commons Favorites.
I will view them again.

Thanks so much!
The Library of Congress Posted 12 years ago Edited by The Library of Congress (member) 12 years ago
From the State Library of Queensland:

Here's a bunch of "fives" in a Happy birthday set www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/sets/7215763...

Also just thought about a blog post I did a little while ago about our top five photos on FLickr. It's here blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/?s=flickr
it's an interesting mix, as all the top photos are. Our photo of lifeboats from the Titanic shot to the top in a few weeks after the anniversary this year, and a photo of some girls running over the sand dunes in the 1930s is also a winner.
MOD
whatsthatpicture Posted 12 years ago
I have blogged my personal thoughts about Flickr Commons, and linked to these great galleries - see www.whatsthatpicture.com/2013/01/five-years-of-flickr-com...
Australian War Memorial collection Posted 12 years ago
We have a set nearly ready to go up, showing scenes of celebrations. I will also do at least one blog post about the anniversary and our set, which will also contain links to what others on the Commons are doing to mark the occasion. It is not public yet, but will be available at www.flickr.com/photos/australian-war-memorial/sets/721576...

If I get a chance I will do another post about our top 5 images.

Thanks to the LoC for those galleries. The range of the photos in those galleries is really something. I was also very pleased to see our unidentified soldier appear on whatsthatpicture's blog post at www.whatsthatpicture.com/2013/01/five-years-of-flickr-com.... Sadly, we still don't know who that young man was or what happened to him.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons Posted 12 years ago
Morning everyone, and a very Happy "Birthday"... hats off to the Library of Congress!

I got our Flickroonies to pick their favourites and say why they like them, and just wrote introductory paragraphs to two celebratory blog posts.

So, here's Celebrating the Commons on Flickr, posted last Friday. And yesterday's Celebrating the Commons on Flickr, Part Deux...

I've been tweeting and facebooking also.

Carol

P.S. Well done, Helena, for the call to arms.
Swedish National Heritage Board Posted 12 years ago
Best 5th Birthday Wishes to all of The Commons and Thanks to the Library of Congress and Flickr for initially creating this wonderful site!

Really nice to view the "Flickr Commons Favorites" galleries. Thanks Helena and the LoC! Here are my contributions to the 5 years celebration, posted today:

A news article on the website of the Swedish National Heritage Board (In Swedish).

A blogpost on the blog of the Swedish National Heritage Board (In English).

Finally, some tweets will be made during the day!

Anna
Swedish National Heritage Board
Smithsonian Institution Posted 12 years ago
We are celebrating all of your efforts with a blog post about two people who were recently identified in our collections:

siarchives.si.edu/blog/found-two-people-flickr-commons

Including this high school math teacher who attended the "Scopes Monkey Trial" with his former student.

College student William Silverman (at right), standing with his former high school teacher, Creed F. Bates Jr., on the lawn of the Rhea County Courthouse, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925. by Smithsonian Institution


We so appreciate this wonderful community and partners in Flickr Commons!
Nationaal Archief Posted 12 years ago Edited by Nationaal Archief (member) 12 years ago
Happy birthday to Flickr The Commons!

A good reason for a party! :
www.flickr.com/photos/nationaalarchief/sets/7215763252607...

Arnold
Nationaal Archief
The National Archives of the Netherlands
MOD
pennylrichardsca (now at ipernity) Posted 12 years ago
Here's a roundup post at Indicommons:
www.indicommons.org/2013/01/16/happy-5th-birthday-flickr-...
The image I used was uploaded today by the LLGC/NLW.
The Library of Congress Posted 12 years ago Edited by The Library of Congress (member) 12 years ago
The new Library blog post is live at "Flickr Commons: Happy 5th Birthday!"

Our Flickr set is up, too--"Celebrating Flickr Commons."

I'm really enjoying all your sets and reading your posts.

Michelle
LSE Library Posted 12 years ago
I have tweeted and posted to Facebook (www.twitter.com/LSELibrary and www.facebook.com/lselibrary) promoting the galleries.

I also managed to write a blog post and am just editing it with some pictures, but I won't manage to post it until Friday - at least I can prolong the celebrations!

Michelle - your links don't seem to be working for me, they take me back to the Commons. Is it something wrong my end do you think?

Thanks
Catherine
San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives Posted 12 years ago
We went a little "Airplane Nerd" on our Birthday Set. We put together a set of aircraft images which have 5 in the designation, such as the Lockheed C-5.
Lockheed : C-5 : Galaxy by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives


Happy Birthday!
www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/sets/72157632535255663/
Alan Renga
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Xerxes2K Posted 12 years ago
Happy Birthday! And thanks to all of you for being part of this amazing project!

blog.flickr.net/en/2013/01/16/happy-commons-anniversary/

Kay
Community Manager, Flickr
admin
George Posted 12 years ago
Hooray!!!!! This is AMAZING! Millions of views, millions of tags, millions of balloons, and loads of champagne to all!
Smithsonian Institution Posted 12 years ago
Thank YOU, George!
waferbaby Posted 12 years ago
So happy!
Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Posted 12 years ago
Hi all,

We have had so much success with this photosharing platform as people, places and events continue to be identified. Our collection is all the richer for it! Here is our little wrap-up, and we enjoyed tweeting, facebooking and looking at amazing pics all day long!

anmm.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/flickr-commons-turns-5/

Now where's that breakfast champagne... Happy birthday!

Penny & Nicole
Australian National Maritime Museum
The Library of Congress Posted 12 years ago
George/
Wishing you as much champagne & as many balloons as you want :-)
Your vision of The Commons created so many ways for people and historic pictures to connect, with a rich harvest of new information, too. Yeah!

Gratefully yours, Helena
square view [deleted] Posted 12 years ago
It's been a fantastic nonstop party for five years!   Thanks to George and The Library of Congress for the idea ("Hey, let's have a parrrr-t-y!"), and thanks to Flickr for providing the party-site (great location, btw!) -- and thanks to all the guests from around the world who joined in over the years and made this party rock! (Is it just me, or are all the folks at this party the really popular, good-looking and brilliant organizations?)

The decade is young -- party on!
Paul Hagon Posted 12 years ago
Congratulations! It's been an amazing 5 years. The commons had has an incredible influence on my life & career that I can't be measured by views & comments. Here's my thoughts on what The Commons has done for me.

www.paulhagon.com/2013/01/17/flickr-commons-turns-5/

Paul Hagon
National Library of Australia
Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Posted 12 years ago
Congratulations for us all.
A special thank's to George Oates and The Library of Congress for this amazing idea.
All the best.
Paulo Leitão
Biblioteca de Arte - Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
The Library of Congress Posted 12 years ago
We've added a few more images to Gallery 4 from new responses we received today, and our stats page is reporting over 30,000 total views of the galleries so far today.

Michelle
Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Posted 12 years ago
The Library of Congress:

Woohoo! We also noticed a marked increase in views to the images we included. Great news!
Nicole, ANMM
ninakuriloff Posted 12 years ago
Fantastic!
LSE Library Posted 12 years ago
Have posted my blog entry this morning! lib-1.lse.ac.uk/archivesblog/?p=4753
admin
George Posted 12 years ago
*clink*
National Science and Media Museum Posted 12 years ago
Happy birthday everybody!

Okay, so this is a little delayed, but getting all the images and data for 87 photographs of photographers in our Collection took a little doing. It really was a labour of love, and I learned a few interesting things along the way.

You've all done a brilliant job, really inspiring - and thanks especially to Helena at the LoC for spurring us all on. I'm sure you've all experienced the same thing, but views of our all time most popular images went through the roof after the favourites galleries went out.

Here's our set:
www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmediamuseum/sets/7215763258...

And a blog post about The Commons and all you lovely people.
nationalmediamuseumblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/flickr-c...

Looking forward to seeing more of all of you on here.

Best wishes,
Emma
Powerhouse Museum Collection Posted 12 years ago
Happy 5 years since the launch of the Flickr Commons.

Here is our set:
www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/sets/721576325735...
MOD
pennylrichardsca (now at ipernity) Posted 12 years ago Edited by pennylrichardsca (now at ipernity) (moderator) 12 years ago
I was planning to wear this Flickr Commons-inspired garment last week, but it was chilly in Los Angeles on the actual anniversary--so I wore it today, a week later...
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/11418107@N02/8407560442/]
The original image was edited, printed on silk, ironed onto linen, framed in lace, and appliqued:
Tvær konur, á peysufötum og í kjól / Two women, one wearing "peysuföt" (traditional Icelandic Costume) and the other a danish dress , 1900-1920 by Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík Museum of

Me wearing the garment today:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/11418107@N02/8407279086]
ninakuriloff Posted 12 years ago
That's so nice, Penny!
:)
admin
BigBean Posted 12 years ago
love this thread so much!

Cheers all!