Maybe it happens at dinner one night. Someone asks a question. No one knows for sure. Someone else tries Google. Maybe you have your answer in seconds. Or maybe not. If it’s a question about your neighborhood or your community, you might not find anything at all. In the age of Google, the most elusive information is local.

So the Black Hills Area Community Foundation got together with a team of librarians to create the Black Hills Knowledge Network, an online resource for everything local in the Black Hills. Our librarians are organizing news stories, city council minutes and research reports to give you the history of an issue. Visit our virtual community archives to see historic photographs or find data on issues. We have information on how to start a business, train for a new career or get involved with volunteers doing good work in your community. The document library for the history of this project can be accessed to view the mission statement, presentations about the project, and more.

With bookmarking software called "Diigo," librarians on the Black Hills Knowledge Network are organizing research files for patrons. Looking for information on a particular topic or the back story behind today's headline? You will find articles from the local newspaper, city council minutes and much more bookmarked into a single "clippings" file. Check out the list of topics here.