Today’s post comes from Kimberlee Ried, public affairs specialist at the National Archives at Kansas City.
In April, Google launched Kansas City: Smoke Rings and the Finer Things as the first U.S. city to be featured on the Google Arts & Culture website. Although the National Archives’ relationship with Google is not new, the introduction of cities across the United States is a recent addition to the Google digital offerings, as previously only European locales like Lyon, France, and Hamburg, Germany have been featured.
Various organizations and businesses across Kansas City participated in the project as well as a number of program partners of the National Archives at Kansas City and the Truman Library, including the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City Museum, National World War I Museum and Memorial, and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The Google Arts and Culture platform highlights more than museums, libraries, and archives. Various food, drink, and entertainment stories are included so visitors to the website and city have a better understanding of what makes Kansas City unique. While perusing the site, you can find story vignettes such as How to order KC BBQ like a local and 11 facts that will make you fall in love with KC.
The Harry S. Truman Library Presidential Library and Museum’s contributions to the platform include a tour of the main museum exhibit and a preview of the replica Oval Office as it looked during the Truman administration, including highlighting the “Buck Stops Here” sign.
The National Archives at Kansas City’s contributions include a building tour of the facility featuring the We the People exhibit. In addition, records from the Kansas City archival holdings are included in the Pendergast Era Project via a partnership with the Kansas City Public Library.
After its launch, the website attracted coverage from the news media, including the local National Public Radio affiliate KCUR and the Kansas City Business Journal. In addition, on April 16 Google.com featured the new Kansas City platform on the main Google page for millions of people around the world to see.
Check out Kansas City: Smoke Rings and Finer Things on Google Arts and Culture.