Celebrating Flickr Commons

When Flickr launched The Commons on January 16, 2008, they created a new opportunity for all of us to enjoy historical photographs in a more networked way.

To mark this 5th birthday, the Library of Congress asked The Commons contributors to share their most popular photos. Check out the galleries of Flickr Commons Favorites!

More pictures to delight you also appear in sets and blogs noted in the Flickr Commons discussion group.

The Library of Congress has a vast collection of historical photographs--pictures guaranteed to lift your spirits, spark your curiosity, and otherwise make you look twice. So we were excited about a new avenue for sharing them and being the first institution, but not the last, to be a part of The Commons.

When Flickr introduced The Commons, they set two ambitious goals: “to firstly show you hidden treasures in the world's public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer.” Thousands of people took the invitation to heart and created a wonderful community of conversation about pictures with plenty of room for individual inspiration through viewing, favorites, notes, and remixing.

The Commons opened with two collections from the Library of Congress. Your interest has encouraged 55 more libraries, archives, and museums to add more than 250,000 photos over the last 5 years!

Learn more:

•View institutions participating in the Flickr Commons
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•Join the Flickr Commons discussion group, “bringing together the members of The Commons with Flickr users and staff in a space to celebrate, play with, and carry forward The Commons.”

•Keep up with "Best of The Commons" photos through the Indicommons.

•Read how the Flickr Commons makes a difference. A Happy Anniversary: Four Years of Sharing on Flickr has reflections from the Library of Congress about the great comments, pairings of old and new pictures, and other Flickr experiences.