Brownsburg Branches meets again May 1 at 6pm. We will be playing Genealogy Bingo, What would you do? scenarios during research, and working through your family tree questions. Click here to register:
What is Preservation Week and why does it matter? Every year institutions that maintain historic items spread the word about how to preserve the most fragile connections we have to the past. From PreservationWeek.com:
How did Preservation Week start? In 2005 the first comprehensive national survey of the condition and preservation needs of the nation’s collections reported that U.S. institutions hold more than 4.8 billion items. Libraries alone hold 3 billion items (63 percent of the whole). A treasure trove of uncounted additional items is held by individuals, families, and communities. These collections include books, manuscripts, photographs, prints and drawings, and objects such as maps, textiles, paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and furniture, to give just a sample. They include moving images and sound recordings that capture performing arts, oral history, and other records of our creativity and history. Digital collections are growing fast, and their formats quickly become obsolescent, if not obsolete.
Recognizing this need, ALA and its Association for Library Collections and Technical Services inaugurated national collections Preservation Week, May 9-15, 2010, along with national partners that include the Library of Congress, Institute of Library and Museum Services, American Institute for Conservation, Society of American Archivists, and Heritage Preservation.
Why is preservation awareness important? Some 630 million items in collecting institutions require immediate attention and care. Eighty percent of these institutions have no paid staff assigned responsibility for collections care; 22 percent have no collections care personnel at all. Some 2.6 billion items are not protected by an emergency plan. As natural disasters of recent years have taught us, these resources are in jeopardy should a disaster strike. Personal, family, and community collections are equally at risk.
Brownsburg Fact of the Month
With spring fully sprung, many of us Brownsburgers are fighting garden pests. Squirrels, rabbits, racoons, and more are the menace of our yards. But in 1946 there was a different kind of pest wreaking havoc; foxes. Brownsburg and our neighboring Clermont were forced to organize fox hunts after livestock started dying. The resulting articles in the Brownsburg Recorder in January 1946 were quite humorous!
Celebrating 200 Years All Year!
This year marks the 200th year of Hendricks County, and there is a lot to celebrate. Head over to the bicentennial website to check out all the many events throughout the county. You can dance with Hendricks County stars, have a family day at the museum, go to the Rib Fest and BBQ, and more! Click the link below for a full list of events.