Sick people lie on cots in a makeshift hospital at the Oakland Auditorium during the 1918 flu pandemic. Mark Twain grins with a group of folks at Piedmont's sulphur springs in 1868.

These reflections of long ago, and some not so long ago, are among some 250 images of Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont that can be viewed and downloaded off the Oakland Public Library's new online archive of local history.

Each image is described, dated and located as best the archivists could identify. The images of some of Piedmont's history, such as a silkworm factory decades ago, are particularly relevant as Piedmont celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.

The site went up in late November and includes photographs, maps, albums, portraits and manuscripts from 1842 through 1967 -- from Gold Rush days through civil liberties demonstrations.

All the artifacts for the new online site came from the Oakland History Room at the library, which houses more than 20,000 books about Oakland and California history, said community relations coordinator Kathleen Hirooka. The history room also contains old city directories, birth and death certificates, Oakland public school archives, an extensive Jack London collection and works of other noted local authors.

Items for the online collection were selected and researched by the staff of the Oakland History Room.

History room librarian Steven Lavoie said historical items have come to the library "in dribs and drabs over the years." They have been donated or acquired from numerous sources.

"We have never had to purchase a photograph," he said.

The new online archive is a boon for students, scholars and simply those who are interested in local history.

"(People) have been fascinated by it," Hirooka said. "It informs about the rich history of the Oakland area. People like to look at their neighborhoods in the past and how they look today."

The historic online archive is part of a statewide digital resources project launched this year by the California State Library. Oakland Library received a $6,000 grant from the Library Services and Technology Act fund to underwrite the costs of digitization, software, supplies and staff support.

About 200 images are now on Oakland's historic online archive; about 50 more will be added in the near future.

To safeguard the library artifacts, high-quality digital reproductions of the items were produced for preservation in the University of California's electronic repository.

Statewide, there are 120,000 images on the new digital archives, generated from remote Modoc County to Calexico. The virtual collections are impressive. They include the Holocaust Center of Northern California, the Japanese American National Museum, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Hearst Museum of Anthropology.

More than 40 public, academic and special libraries have participated in the project. Web users can view, save and print these California rarities, many of which have not been viewable in the libraries' brick and mortar collections, Lavoie said.

"Some of the items are not wise to be handled," he said. Light, dust, handling and temperature changes all deteriorate fragile documents, photographs and maps.

Lavoie is excited with the project, but it's been a lot of work.

"This is a publishing project. Much research is required," he said. "So many collections are not adequately identified. When you publish (online archives) there is a different standard for its use."

But, he said, "I'm happy with the whole project. I think it really helps people recognize the significance of this town.

"Oakland comes out looking like a very unique place for a variety of reasons: innovative, creative, interesting and beautiful."