Celebrating 5 years of The Commons on Flickr (pictures)

Institutions worldwide offered up their public photography collections as part of The Commons on Flickr, creating a collection of historic images that has engaged -- and been enriched by -- Flickr's active community.Of what value is a photograph if it's stored away, tucked deep in filing cabinets, and inaccessible to potential viewers? Not, much, says Flickr.



Greater accessibility was the driving factor behind The Commons on Flickr project, which last week celebrated its fifth anniversary. Launched on January 16, 2008 in partnership with The Library of Congress, Flickr sought to increase access to publicly held photography collections, providing a way for people to interact with the images, and potentially contributing information to the catalogs.



Dozens of institutions around the world have offered up their public collections so far, and thousands of Flickr community members have contributed to the conversation, adding nearly 2 million tags and more than 165,000 comments to the photos, offering detailed anecdotes and supplemental information to the collections.



Here are just a few of the most popular photos to appear in The Commons on Flickr, including images from the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, The U.S. National Archives, and The National Archives U.K.



McDonnell Douglas : F/A-18C : Hornet



Catalog #: 00042036

Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas

Designation: F/A-18C

Official Nickname: Hornet

Notes: DIO

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive [Read more]





by CBS Interactive via CNET