Being sent to multiple lists. Please excuse any duplication. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kathleen M. Miller, Executive Director, Rochester Regional Library Council, (716) 223-7570 Western New York Suffragists: Winning the Vote Shares Unique Collections The Rochester Regional Library Council today unveiled Western New York Suffragists: Winning the Vote, a new Internet site that chronicles women and men in the five-county Rochester region who championed women’s right to vote. It is accessible at www.winningthevote.org, and is an invaluable resource for students, teachers, researchers, women’s organizations, and others interested in exploring the history of the suffrage movement in the area where it was born. As the home of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Western New York is rich in unique materials never before made widely available to the public. Winning the Vote is the result of the cooperative efforts of the Rochester Regional Library Council and 18 regional institutions to digitize photographs, letters, flyers, and pamphlets from their collections and make them accessible at one site. The web site features biographical sketches of 35 suffragists who played a role in the Women’s Suffrage Movement between 1848 and 1920. It includes the famous, such as Susan B. Anthony, but focuses on the lesser known, such as Emily Collins of South Bristol and Dr. Cordelia Greene of Castile, describing who they were, where they lived, and how they helped to change our nation. The site also presents a summary of the suffrage movement, as well as timelines of local and national events. It lists and provides links to many related resources, books, films, and web sites, such as the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester. “Winning the Vote was made possible through the efforts of many people, including our participating institutions,” said Kathleen Miller, Executive Director of the Rochester Regional Library Council. “It is another example of the new, exciting services libraries offer. We are pleased that we were able to work with a wide range of institutions to create this site, and hope that they benefit from having their materials viewed by a wider audience without putting the original items at risk of damage or loss.” Images for the site were contributed by the American Baptist Historical Society, American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library; the Castile Historical Society; the Colgate-Rochester Divinity School’s Ambrose Swasey Library; the East Rochester Local History Office; the Geneva Historical Society; the Ontario County Records and Archives Center; Rochester General Hospital’s Baker-Cederberg Museum & Archives; Rochester Institute of Technology’s Wallace Memorial Library, Archives & Special Collections; the Rochester Museum & Science Center; Rochester Public Library, Local History Division; St. John Fisher College’s Lavery Library; the Strong Museum; SUNY Brockport’s Drake Memorial Library; Susan B. Anthony House; the University of Rochester’s Rush Rhees Library, Rare Books and Special Collections; the University of Rochester Medical Center, Edward G. Miner Library; the Village of Honeoye Falls Historian; and the Wyoming County Historian. Founded in 1966, the Rochester Regional Library Council is a cooperative, multi-type library network that encompasses Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties. It is one of nine Councils in a statewide network that promotes cooperation among libraries of all types and enhances access to library and information materials. Winning the Vote was created as part of a two-year project to explore digitization of historic materials in the region, supported by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. #