The Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton held a community conversation in March, once again thanks to grant funding from Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
The LTC grant gave the library the opportunity facilitate a second brainstorming event with a focus on local history. Attendees had a real voice in sharing ideas that would spark excitement in preserving local history for future generations. This event served as a follow-up to a conversation held in August of 2021 where the idea for Changing Perspectives: A Local History Photo Exhibition started.
The event was free to attend and open to the public. Representatives from the DeWitt Genealogical Society, DeWitt County Museum, and others were present to share their ideas. Attendees generated over ten ideas for events, projects, and partnerships that could increase engagement in local history throughout the community. Attendees also walked away with a better understanding of the missions and goals of other community organizations which will aid partnerships in the future.
In the end, an initiative to feature local organizations through special displays at the library was selected. Details about the project will be available later this summer. For more information about LTC, ALA, ARSL, or this project, please contact the library at library@vwarner.org or 217-935-5174.