Women's History Month @ JCPL

Greetings, and thanks for coming to see what JCPL is working on now– the Library is using this internet resource to inform people about the planning and events we’re doing for Women’s History Month in March this year and in the future. You can use it to share your ideas and comments with us and each other. It’s also an easy way to inform other people you think might be interested in the Library’s activities and women’s issues in our region. I’m Lisa Williams, and I am doing planning for these events. I also work at the Reference Desk at the Library. Please feel free to contact me with questions or ideas that you have about the efforts discussed below, either by leaving a comment on the blog, via email (by clicking on my name under "Contributors"), or by calling the Reference Department at 434-4454.

JCPL has identified an opportunity for Northeast Tennessee to lead in the development of rich cultural resources in the topic of women’s history. Together with community partners – academic, business, and professional – JCPL wishes to explore avenues for the growth of our region’s strategic strengths: a combination of a unique history and talents and “our own story to tell.”

That story gives the Johnson City Public Library a unique bond with women’s history – the Library itself was founded by a small group of women who called themselves “the Monday Reading Club.” They were inspired by a trip to the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and determined upon their return a need for “reference books” to further their studies and a desire to help their community. In this Johnson City’s Library is not unique; most public libraries in the U.S. were founded by women with similar commitments. Learn more about the odyssey of these local cultural pioneers here (link forthcoming), in a presentation created by JCPL Librarian Gail Campbell.

Events at JCPL in 2008 will feature an exhibition of items from the collection of the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University, through the assistance of Dr. Roberta Herrin, and archivists Norma Myers and Ned Irwin. The pieces included will feature an emphasis on visually striking images that reflect a diversity in women’s lives in Tennessee from roughly the post-Civil War era to mid Twentieth century. This exhibit will be free and open to the public. This presentation of items from the Archives will help increase public awareness of the many historical treasures preserved there, which are accessible to the general public for research purposes.

Additionally, JCPL will host an invitational luncheon, “Women’s History Celebration,” on March 25th, with keynote speaker Sandy Treadway, state Librarian of Virginia. Sandy will discuss the Library of Virginia’s commitments and activities with women’s history in Virginia; afterwards JCPL Director Nelson Worley and event facilitator Lisa Williams will present ideas for program implementation by the Johnson City Public Library and discuss these with the luncheon participants. Among the programs under consideration:

Ø A Memorial Awards program/foundation – to create awards in recognition of women who have been instrumental in recent local history, to be awarded to select women of promise each year
Ø A “memory project” or museum – either bricks and mortar, virtual or some combination of both
Ø Expanding the current exhibit into a touring show, with collateral catalogue raisonné and print materials, memorabilia for sale
Ø Open access E-journal of women’s history/women’s studies under the auspices of SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) incubator program
Ø Author talks/lecture series at Millennium Center
Ø Cooperative education opportunities with local institutions