Library staff assisting with History Center open house prep, other special projects
The Knowlton Library, 220 N. Main St., remains closed this spring during repairs to the entire facility following a frozen pipe that burst and caused extensive flooding on Christmas Day.
However, three library staff members are filling a new role in the community and are helping to preserve local history through working a portion of their hours at the Logan County History Center, 521 E. Columbus Ave., since early February.
Alongside history center staff and volunteers, Logan County Libraries staff members Haley Gibson, Mari Smith and Melinda Ridgeway have brought their reference librarian expertise and research skills to the LCHC at the perfect time, as the history center is preparing for their spring open house, “A Salute to the Logan County Schools,” slated for 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 23.
The open house will feature artifacts from the museum’s collection, along with class composites, photographs, yearbooks and other school-related documents from the LCHC Archives.
“This has been a win-win for us and for the history center,” Smith said Tuesday, April 10, while preparing binders of historical documents for each of the Logan County schools for the open house, alongside Gibson and Ridgeway. “I’m really enjoying my time here, and I’ve always been interested in history.”
Early this year, Beth Marshall, LCHC assistant curator/archivist, who also previously worked at the Logan County Libraries, said she reached out to Alicia Wilkins at the library after she learned about some of the staff being displaced and working from home.
“They came up with the idea to have some of their staff work here part-time…they were very enthusiastic about it,” Marshall said.
“It’s been wonderful having their assistance with the ‘Salute to Logan County Schools’ project, and some other projects as well. While we have some wonderful and dedicated volunteers, some of them are not as comfortable working with computers. The library staff are a whiz with the computers and they have been able to accomplish a lot during a such short time.
“We’ve been able to work together on various projects in the past, and this is another great example of our collaboration.”
Logan County Libraries Director Beverly Arlequeeuw said while the Knowlton Library renovations continue, fellow library staff have been added at the branch locations and some are continuing to work from home as well. Building on the connection with the LCHC is quite valuable for both organizations.
“This was a great way for our staff to fulfill their work hours, but also to build a partnership with a local organization,” she said. “The LCHC was a good fit.
“They have been working on some great projects together that will make an impact in preserving some of Logan County’s history.”
LCHC Director/Curator Todd McCormick said “A Salute to Logan County Schools” has been featured at a previous history center open house years ago, and it’s one that brings plenty of nostalgia and enjoyment for attendees.
“We’ll have plenty of photos on display and memorabilia from the schools that they can look through,” he said. “It’s a fun event to host, and lots of preparations behind the scenes.”
McCormick and Marshall noted that throughout the history center, guests will be able to check out various displays related to schools in the county, including the one-room school house area, the hallway walls and in the ballroom, where clothing items will be on display.
Plenty of textiles are part of the museum’s collection, so they’ll pull out graduation clothing and other momentos, along with a homecoming and prom display featuring dresses from various eras, including the 1930s and 1970s, Marshall said.
A school consolidation flow chart will be on display as well, so attendees can track and reminisce on the history of their area school districts.
Another task that Smith that undertaken during her time at the history center has included scanning negatives from Hadley Photography Studio, as many of the older negatives are deteriorating. The Cincinnati native is saving the scans to a shared drive where any LCHC staff will have access to them for printing purposes (and possibly other purposes) whenever someone requests a photograph of their relative or school event.
Hadley Photography Studio was in operation from the 1920s to early 1980s, so their photography collection is extensive, and included many of the local school districts as clients, Marshall explained. Many of their photos as well will be included in the open house.
During the upcoming weeks, the LCHC Facebook page and website www.loganhistory.org will feature updates and previews of the exhibits and stories that will be featured in “A Salute to Logan County Schools.”