FROM THE FARMINGTON ROOM

Even though I got to work with the library’s archival collections when I was still a part-timer and still in school, I did not get to do a full assessment of the Farmington Room until August, when I stepped into my role as Local History Librarian. In the past five (glorious) months, I have poked my head into every nook and cranny of the main room, the workroom, the archives room, and the virtual spaces where our digital files and surrogates live. I have been noting what needs organizing, re-organizing, cataloging, re-cataloging, updating, moving, and so on. 

Cow and pink sign

Some of the tasks ahead of me in wrangling historical materials under the library’s care are simpler, such as getting our set of Farmington High School yearbooks into our online catalog or scanning materials to add to our digital collections on the CT Digital Archive (CTDA). Some are more complex, like assessing and re-organizing the way in which our ephemeral research materials, known as our “pamphlet file,” is presented, or getting our map collection ready for digitization. 

All this work cannot be done by one person alone! I am incredibly fortunate to have sharp-eyed and enthusiastic volunteers who have spent a couple of hours a week doing data entry, research, scanning, and other tasks. If you are reading this and are thinking it might be fun and satisfying to take part in elevating the community’s access to Farmington and Unionville-focused historical materials, I am always on the lookout for interested individuals with regular availability to volunteer in the Farmington Room. A link to the volunteer form can be found at the end of this article, on the Farmington Room’s home on the library’s website, and on the library’s general volunteer page, in the “About” section of the website.

As I chip away at increasing access to our historic collections, I am also preparing to expand the Farmington Room’s walk-in hours a bit. As of February 1, 2025, you can walk into the Farmington Room between 10 am to 1 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays without an appointment. You can still call or email me to make an appointment outside of these hours.

I hope this new year finds you healthy and appreciating life in little and big ways. Happy researching!

Farmington Room Volunteer Form

Jerusha


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