Returning to the Last Bookmarked Page
Skylar C -
Back to work! I was only able to go in on Tuesday last week because of Spring break. But, after a nice vacation (where I went to Disneyland!), I was ready to resume work at the library. I am still working on the library history binders, and I have started making good progress. I finished the 1979-1982 binder and began, then finished, the 1982-1986 one, which means that I am almost halfway through them! There are binders dedicated to the earlier years of the library, but I think my advisor just wants me to focus on the years with the current library building for now. I can’t wait to get to the 2000s and see the differences between the older materials and more modern ones, and hopefully see references to events that I know.
Outside of the binders, when I was at the library this week, I was really struck by how much there is both inside and outside the library celebrating history. As you walk up the stairs to the different floors, there are paintings on the walls depicting Prescott history through the years. I have been walking up those stairs every day at my internship, but never really noticed them before. Not only that, but if you walk on the sidewalk outside of the library, you will find a timeline etched into the concrete depicting important events throughout the history of the world. This timeline has been referenced in the binders through newspaper articles, like when it was first built for the new library building and when it was deteriorating. The last article that I read about it was in the early 80s, and it was going to be remade. Also, when you are on the second floor, if you walk out one of the doors outside, you will be able to see a beautiful mural on the wall, which I wasn’t able to get a picture of. I included different photos below of the timeline and paintings though.
When I was out of the library, I continued reading the book Archives Alive: Expanding Engagement with Public Library Archives and Special Collections. The second chapter, which I am currently in, is about different libraries’ programs about community history. For example, the Arlington Public Library in Virginia created a Center For Local History, which houses its different collections, namely its Digital Collections, Virginia Collecti0ns, and Community Archives. The Center puts on exhibitions, starts projects that collect their community history, puts on programs to show the public, and collaborates with other institutions to share with each other. Also, the Charleston County Public Library contains the Charleston Archive, and blogs or other programs are used to help connect the public to what lies in that collection. The library collaborates with other institutions in order to better reach their community, like creating a new digital collection or hosting tours for teachers. There is so much more in this book, and I love how it focuses on actual libraries and their multiple strategies and programs already put in place pertaining to collecting and sharing history.
Sources:
Schull, Diantha Dow. Archives Alive: Expanding Engagement with Public Library Archives and Special Collections. ALA Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association, 2015.
Photos posted with permission.
Comments:
All viewpoints are welcome but profane, threatening, disrespectful, or harassing comments will not be tolerated and are subject to moderation up to, and including, full deletion.