The Friend of Man, a newspaper published for the New York State Anti-Slavery Society between 1836 and 1842, is now available online to scholars worldwide, thanks to Cornell University Library. Published by J.F. Bishop in Utica, N.Y., the newspaper documents the early anti-slavery movement in upstate New York.

The library, which can claim one of the nation's most complete sets of this publication among its microfilm holdings, has recently digitized the collection and created a Web site to showcase it. The project was initiated by Margaret Washington, Cornell professor of history, who worked with the library's Department of Digital Consulting and Production Services (DCAPS) to make this unique collection widely available, using funding from the library's former faculty grants initiative program.

The Friend of Man is of special significance because scholars know little about the resources of 19th century social movements in rural areas, such as upstate New York. The publication introduces a small but vocal group of people from all walks of life intent on changing America and demonstrates the interconnectedness of the anti-slavery movement, especially in Utica, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and New York City.

The online availability of The Friend of Man complements the library's anti-slavery collection. The library owns one of the richest collections of anti-slavery and Civil War material in the world, due in large part to Andrew Dickson White, Cornell's first president, who developed an early interest in both fostering and documenting the abolitionist movement and the Civil War.

To view Cornell's The Friend of Man collection, visit its Web site at http://newspapers.library.cornell.edu/FOM. Information about the library's Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection is available at http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/m/mayantislavery/.

Chris Philipp is a writer and editor for Library Communications.