What’s next?
First off, I want to thank all my volunteers for Maker Fair and all the folks who stopped in during the event. It was a fun day and we’re already looking forward to planning the next one.
History talk: Early Revolutionaries and Divided Loyalties
On Saturday, April 11, local historian Betty Coykendall will be giving a presentation on the first three years of the American Revolution (1775-1777). Her extensive research helped her to confirm the names of hundreds of Farmington residents who served in the American Revolution. In addition, part of her talk will address divided loyalties and other impacts within families. The talk will take place in the Jay Johnston Community Room at 10am. Hope to see you there!
Our two Community Archiving kits are now available to check out. They can be borrowed for a week at a time, and you can reserve them online! They are listed in our catalog. Do you have anyone in your life that you’d like to interview while you still can? Are you in possession of a large number of family photographs that you’d like to digitize and share with your extended family? (I’m right there with you on that one!)
Our Recording Kit is for those who either can’t/don’t want to use a smart phone to make audio recordings, OR who do plan to use a smart phone but maybe need some extra guidance. My favorite part of the kit (other than the furry windscreen which reminds me of a squirrel) is the pack of interview question cards. The open-ended questions cover early, mid, and late life. The card pack is one of a series of conversation card games called “Tales” and was donated by one of our amazing Farmington Room volunteers.
Our Scanning Kit contains an Epson scanner and cable, plus a guide to organizing, labeling, digitizing, storing, and sharing your images. While this scanner will not do slides and negatives, you can use our bigger Epson scanner in the T. David Palmer Maker Space for those formats. Call, email, or stop by the Information Services Desk to book a training.
Scrapbook Replicas
We made replicas of some of our favorite 20th/21st century scrapbooks for our “What’s Your Story” event at Maker Fair. We love the way they came out and they were a big hit! I am placing these out at the Adult Information Services desk with the Farmington High School Yearbooks—that means that any time we’re open, you can take a seat and spend some time looking through them.
Balloons Over Farmington
The Bicentennial in 1976 was a big deal in Farmington. Huge deal. From what I gather, there was support and funding at the national level to get every town involved in a months-long celebration. Farmington’s Bicentennial Committee organized a head-spinning slate of events and contests, and many organizations got involved, including the library. The Farmington Quilts, two of which you can see publicly at the Main Library and at the Unionville Museum, were made during the Bicentennial as a fundraiser.
Our archival collection contains many materials from the Bicentennial Committee. Some of the material is represented in five scrapbooks, of which “Balloons Over Farmington” is just one.
The Farmington Libraries Children’s Programs through the years
One of my volunteers graciously took on the task of picking 50 images from about ten photo albums full of programs and events organized by the Youth Services Department from the 1960s to the 2000s. Do remember participating in the Harry Potter Sleepovers? The Cookie Capers? Cultural exploration events? You might see yourself or your favorite librarian in this scrapbook replica.
Re-Development of Unionville
A college student and Unionville resident did a research project on the re-development of Unionville, which she then donated to the library in the mid-1970s. She begins the piece with an explanation connecting this era to the devastation of the 1955 Flood. Through articles between 1962 and 1973, the creator shows deep impacts on the community during this transformation.
Photos for the Future
During the first Farmington Festival in 1990, the Unionville Museum decided to capture the community as it was that year: they set up a photo booth for taking portraits of Farmington and Unionville residents. Each person or group who sat to have their picture taken was asked three questions: “When did you come to town?”, “What are your interests and hobbies?” and “What do you like about the town?”. The resulting photo album was given to the library for safe keeping.
The future is now friends! I have been wanting to share this album since I first saw it almost two years ago now. It is heart-warming to read what people said they liked about this town. I love seeing people I recognize and have gotten to know here, and I love looking at it with
people who have lived here a long time and seem to know every single person in it. I’m not even from here and it gets me a little emotional sometimes! This one is a gem, truly.
Garden Club, 1981-1990
The Garden Club has a few scrapbooks and lots of material in our archival collection. I so enjoyed researching this club for my last exhibit that included the history of the Shade Swamp Sanctuary, which the club took care of for many years. There are photos of work projects, fundraising events, and informal gatherings in this album, plus newspaper clippings and brochures. The Garden Club’s impressive service is apparent looking through this volume.
Now that our first big event is behind us, we’re back to getting the collection into shape for increased access. Excited to share our next steps! Until next time, happy researching!
Jerusha