WILLEMSTAD – Carmabi is nearing the completion of a major project to digitize 70 years of valuable documents, photographs, and research reports from its library collection, making unique information about the nature and history of Curaçao and the other Caribbean islands accessible online to the public.
Until recently, many of these materials could only be viewed at Carmabi’s library in Piscadera. The collection includes historic scientific publications, student research papers, old photographs, and aerial images of Curaçao.
Over the past year, a significant portion of the archive has been scanned and uploaded online. The digitized collection now includes 13 volumes of the Carmabi Collected Papers containing around 350 scientific publications, approximately 400 student reports and research studies, 1,100 aerial photographs of Curaçao, and hundreds of old newsletters and rare books.
In addition, thousands of historical photographs, slides, and negatives have been catalogued and are being further digitized in collaboration with the National Archives of Curaçao.
According to Carmabi, digitizing these materials not only helps preserve them for future generations but also allows researchers, students, schools, and the wider public to easily access the information through the internet.
The library contains extensive documentation about the ecosystems and environmental history of Curaçao and the former Netherlands Antilles. Old reports and photographs show how the island’s landscape, coastline, and natural environment have changed over the decades. Researchers say this information can support future scientific studies and contribute to environmental conservation efforts.
The first documents are already available online through the Dutch Caribbean Digital Platform, an initiative of the University of Curaçao. Carmabi says new materials will continue to be added even after the project officially concludes.
The project was made possible through funding from the Mondriaan Fund and was carried out in cooperation with the National Archives of Curaçao and specialists from the Dutch Digital Heritage Network.
Carmabi has already submitted the project’s final accountability report to the Mondriaan Fund and expects to officially complete the initiative in the coming weeks.
The digital collection can be viewed at: dcdp.uoc.cw/carmabi
