Oshawa Library recognized for preserving local history
Ellen Stroud, director of service design and delivery, Frances Newman, CEO and local history and genealogy librarian Nicole Adams of the Oshawa Public Libraries, recently accepted this annual Archival and Preservation Award from the Ontario Library Association for the establishment of a local history room. (Photo courtesy Oshawa Public Libraries)
On Jan. 30, staff from Oshawa Public Libraries accepted the annual Archival and Preservation Award from the Ontario Library Association for the work they achieved through the establishment of the local history room.
This award recognizes significant achievements in the field of preservation and/or conservation for library and/or archival materials.
The project included digitizing and preserving local historical materials, storing resources according to best practices, and forging strong community partnerships in collection development, displays, and innovative programming.
Oshawa Public Libraries’ local history room, located in the McLaughlin Branch, is a space that is very popular with those who are looking for more information for their family tree, as well as local history enthusiasts.
Local history librarian Nicole Adams is very well known for helping information seekers not just from Oshawa, but from all over the world.
One customer recently sent a thank you email to Oshawa Public Libraries, stating the resources available through the local history room helped her find “the missing links to begin the research tracing [her] husband’s family tree.”
Oshawa Public Libraries’ CEO Frances Newman said the local history room is an important piece of the organization’s overall role in the city.
“Local history is really about stories. Stories about places, events, and people. By preserving and sharing our past, we learn for the future,” Newman says.