Your history @ your library

CHICAGO – This week marks the first annual Preservation Week @ your library, highlighting what we can do, individually and together, to preserve our personal and shared collections.

Recognizing the critical role libraries play in preservation, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of ALA, developed Preservation Week as the first national awareness campaign targeting collection preservation awareness for the general public.

Here are a few stories of how libraries across the country and around the globe are working to preserve the local history and heritage of their communities.

The Collier County (Fla.) Public Library hosts Genealogy @ your library, the online component of its non-circulating genealogy collection, which includes books, periodicals, electronic resources and web-based subscription databases. The collection serves patrons interested in both a basic introduction to genealogy, as well as those interested in taking their research to the next level.

Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library in Ontario, Canada, selected the slogan Local history @ your library to promote its local history room. The library’s collection offers a variety of resources including microfilm from several area newspapers, a collection of local yearbooks and records of the town’s settling families.

The Elizabethtown (Pa.) Public Library provides genealogy enthusiasts with A guide to genealogy @ your library, a comprehensive guide to the library’s print and electronic genealogical resources. As a member of Library System of Lancaster County (LSLC) and a partner of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the library is able to provide 24/7 access to various electronic databases free of charge to holders of LSLC cards in good standing.

The Oconto Falls (Wis.) Community Library presented Local history @ your library to area Cub Scouts. The library director showed historical photos of the Oconto River, the local waterfalls and discussed the role the river and the logging industry played in the town’s development.

The Campaign for America’s Libraries (www.ala.org/@yourlibrary) is ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. Thousands of libraries of all types – across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign’s @ your library® brand. The Campaign is made possible by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.