Flickr Users Help ID Archival Photos

Flickr users are helping the Library of Congress identify photos in its historical archives, reports USA Today. So far, users have supplied information on 500 photos featured in Flickr's "The Commons" project, which drew 8.2 million views in just 6 months. Both partners are "stunned by the level of knowledge and also the generosity" of contributors, says one Flickr rep.

The LOC teamed with Flickr last year to publicize its collection of copyright-free, public-domain photos, uploading more than 4,000 dating from the 1900s to the 1940s, and adding 50 more each week. Flickr users have since posted more than 5,000 comments, helping to identify people, places, machines, and even airplanes. (More Flickr stories.)