What is Project HOLD?
The City of College Station, Texas, has set up Project HOLD as an online database of historical documents pertaining to the history of College Station, Bryan and the surrounding areas.

Why did we set up Project HOLD?
The City realized that a vast amount of its history was beginning to disappear. Also, it was apparent that over time, if we tried to preserve the physical documents, these documents were going to require a great deal of physical storage space. Some of the documents were beginning to deteriorate. Preservation of these precious pieces of history was critical.

What kind of documents are in Project HOLD?
Since its beginning in 2002, thousands of documents have been stored in its database. We collect newspaper articles, photographs, memorabilia, oral histories, mini-biographies, yearbooks, advertisements, and memoirs. We are particularly interested in items of daily life such as receipts, programs, legal documents, ticket stubs, etc.

Who collects these documents?
The Planning and Development Services Department of the City, specifically Neighborhood Services, provides the staff, volunteers and equipment to operate Project HOLD. We are always looking for volunteers to help with the cataloging and scanning of these items. Computer knowledge is not a requirement. We will train you.

What will happen to the documents I loan to Project HOLD?
Your documents will be placed in archival (acid-free) containers and handled with the greatest of care. You will receive a receipt for the items and their condition will be noted. When we have digitally scanned these documents into the Project HOLD database, they will be returned to you in archival boxes for you to keep. The scanning process does not harm them in any way. If you like, we will come to your house and help you choose and gather the documents.

What is LaserFiche?
LaserFiche is a program that allows for document imaging and secure storage. A document is first scanned into the computer, information about the document is typed into the template, and it is catalogued according to subject.  In the case of Project HOLD, we then use LaserFiche to make these images and their information available via the Internet.