Dictionary of Sydney
The Dictionary of Sydney is a groundbreaking project that produces a new kind of history – online, growing and changing, and covering every aspect of human life in our city. The project is a partnership between the City of Sydney, the University of Sydney, the State Library of New South Wales, the State Records Authority of New South Wales, and the University of Technology Sydney.
Geographically, the Dictionary of Sydney includes the whole Sydney basin and spans the years from the earliest human habitation to the present. The project includes all kinds of history – engineering history, social and cultural history, economic history and so on. It also invites historical contributions from disciplines such as archaeology, sociology, literary studies, historical geography and cultural studies.[1]
The Dictionary contains new historical writing enriched with other resources – images, maps, sound, music, oral history, film, documents and pointers to important objects in Sydney collections. New material will be added regularly, and linked to what is already there. Contributors include academics, professional historians, heritage specialists, local studies experts, genealogists, enthusiasts, volunteers and readers. Readers are encouraged to contribute by suggesting topics, authors, images, multimedia and more, using the Contribute link found on every page.
Heurist, developed by the University of Sydney is the underlying technology for the project. The website went on line for the first time on 5 November 2009.[2] The Dictionary of Sydney won an Energy Australia National Trust Heritage Award for Interpretation and Presentation in April 2010.[3]