Volunteer Project at Forest Grove City Library
In June 2009, as I was beginning to look at library schools and start the process of applying, I went looking for volunteer opportunities in local libraries. One of the libraries I visited was the Forest Grove City Library in Forest Grove, Oregon. Near the front desk was a volunteer application form. I took one and filled it out.
A week or so later I got a call from the volunteer coordinator requesting an interview. Upon learning what kind of volunteer positions they had available, one of them immediately caught my attention...History Collection Assistant. After that I began my volunteer position, along with several other volunteers, processing the Eric G. Stewart Collection under the supervision of one of the Forest Grove Librarians.
I have created a website for the collection which can be found at http://ericstewartcollection.weebly.com. In this site you will find information about the contents of the collection itself, who Eric Stewart was, more resources for local history, and information about getting involved at Forest Grove City Library. The staff and volunteers will be adding blog entries as time goes on to highlight just some of the many interesting topics dealing with Forest Grove and Washington County History.
Below I have created a monthly summary of my activities having to do with the collection throughout my time as a History Room Volunteer at Forest Grove City Library. In a time when resources are tight for local libraries, dedicated volunteers often step up to provide their time and talents to make things happen. I have enjoyed working on this project and seeing it take shape. It is my hope that it will become a valuable and well used resource for the local community.
A week or so later I got a call from the volunteer coordinator requesting an interview. Upon learning what kind of volunteer positions they had available, one of them immediately caught my attention...History Collection Assistant. After that I began my volunteer position, along with several other volunteers, processing the Eric G. Stewart Collection under the supervision of one of the Forest Grove Librarians.
I have created a website for the collection which can be found at http://ericstewartcollection.weebly.com. In this site you will find information about the contents of the collection itself, who Eric Stewart was, more resources for local history, and information about getting involved at Forest Grove City Library. The staff and volunteers will be adding blog entries as time goes on to highlight just some of the many interesting topics dealing with Forest Grove and Washington County History.
Below I have created a monthly summary of my activities having to do with the collection throughout my time as a History Room Volunteer at Forest Grove City Library. In a time when resources are tight for local libraries, dedicated volunteers often step up to provide their time and talents to make things happen. I have enjoyed working on this project and seeing it take shape. It is my hope that it will become a valuable and well used resource for the local community.
Eric Stewart Volunteer Journal
June 2009: Trained with Ismoon and began to process material and enter information into an Excel finding aid. 8.5 hours total.
July 2009: Processing folders. Original newspapers were copied onto archival copy paper to preserve the contents of the articles. The originals were kept as well. Examples of folders processed: Maps, and lots of “Miscellaneous” folders, which seemed to contain a little bit of everything. 16 hours, 24.5 total.
August 2009: Examples of folders processed this week included “Postcards” containing views of old Forest Grove, as well as lots of “Water Tower Views”, or photographs taken from the top of the town water tower showing the surrounding farms and valleys. Also processed were materials surrounding some of the citizens and business owners of Forest Grove. 22.5 hours, 47 total.
September 2009: Processed material on citizens of Forest Grove, including Friend S. Barnes, and Crosley, who owned a one of the photography studios in Forest Grove. 5.5 hours, 52.5 total.
October 2009: Eric Stewart wrote lots of historical articles for local newspapers in the 1990’s, and many of the folders processed this month included copies of those he submitted for publication. Among other material reviewed included material on the Hillsboro Library, Pacific University, and Genealogy inquiries. Stewart would sometimes perform family history research for individuals. 10.5 hours, 63 total.
November 2009: Processed folders of Forest Grove Maps, and material relating to Forest Grove pioneers Alvin Thompson Smith and the Hinman’s. 5 hours, 68 total.
December 2009: Folders processed this month included the many photographers and photography studios in early Forest Grove. Some folders even contained original photographs with the paper frames and foil studio labels still intact. 8 hours, 76 total.
January 2010: There were lots of Sanborn maps in this month’s material, showing the street names and property locations of the day. Tax lot maps give the names of property owners. Other folders reviewed included more photography studio folders, information on the Ihrig family, as well as articles and city ordinances concerning the 1911 city ordinances assessing bills to home owners for paving the section of street in front of their properties. 15.5 hours, 91.5 total.
February 2010: Some folders included The Shipley Family, more Photographers articles, the Masonic Lodge (the current site of McMenamins Grand Lodge), articles on the Forest Grove Library, founder A.T. Smith’s house, and reviews of local businesses of the time. 16.25 hours, 107.75 total.
March 2010: Folder topics included articles on the Congregational Church, street names and maps of property lines and lot owners of early Forest Grove. Many of the Forest Grove schools, some of which still stand today, had folders of material dedicated to them as well. I also started on the Street Car book. 22 hours, 129.75 total.
April 2010: This month was spend finishing the processing of the book on the Street Car, something which I’m sure will have much interest in the community. Several nice photos were included. The rest of the month was spent processing the “Exhibit” materials, folders of material used at a photography exhibit put on by Eric, as well as blown up tag-board photographs of early Forest Grove. These could be used to make a great display in the future showcasing the collection. 27 hours, 156.75 total.
May 2010: The beginning of this month was spent on processing many binders of negatives from Stewart’s copy photography. While the black and white film is still in relatively good shape, most, if not all, of the color negatives have blanched out to a light brown color. Despite this, people should be able to view and identify the people and places in these photographs. Later topics documented include maps of Washington County, Southern Pacific Railroad, and Historic Resource Inventories from the 1990’s. These include histories and photographs of Forest Grove homes which were given protected status as historic homes. 27 hours, 183.75 total.
June 2010: Received recognition for one year of volunteer service to the library. More Historic Homes Inventories were processed this month, as well as a copy of founder Alvin Thompson (A.T) Smith’s diary. Other examples of folders processed include Postcards (of Forest Grove views), Rotary Club, Genealogy, Tillamook Burn, and Hillsboro Obituaries. 37.75 hours, 221.5 total.
July 2010: Processed folders such as Telephone Directories, Propstra House and Creamery, and David’s Hill. I also went through a bunch of Eric’s proof sheets from his copy photography projects, most of which were accompanied by photo descriptions. 32.5 hours, 254 total.
August 2010: We have now filled up 43 archival boxes with Stewart material. Topics processed this month include Genealogy, Newspapers, Cemetery Index, and Forest Grove Theaters. I was also requested to make an inventory of what material from the collection remained upstairs, including slides, more photographs, and books belonging to the Stewart Collection. I also got to help Ismoon speak to the Friends of Historic Forest Grove at their monthly meeting about the collection and give a tour of the collection. This month the library held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Event to recognize all of the library volunteers. 30.75 hours, 284.75 total.
September 2010: This month some folders were shifted to make room for more material. Some material that was processed this month included Shipley Photos, Imbrie Farmstead, Old College Hall, and Cornelius. 32.5 hours, 249.25 total.
October 2010: Processing continued this month with folders such as Railroads-General History, Photographers, Schools, A.T. Smith Deeds, Gaston, and Liquor History. 24 hours, 373.25 total.
November 2010: This month an inventory was made of the remainder of the collection. Although there is only a couple boxes of documents left, there remains boxes of newspapers, slides, and published books, as well as many containers full of notecards with Eric’s notes on various subjects. Processed folders with lots of early obituaries and biographical notes, as well as material on the Forest Grove Creamery, which contained two original butter wrappers from products produced at the plant, Washington County Museum, and the bus depot. 25.25 hours, 398.5 total.
December 2010: I made an index of the collection, noting the folder titles, the box and folder numbers, and created short descriptions of each, this is to allow others to find specific folders when the need to. The folders were condensed into fewer boxes to save space and materials. 30 hours, 428.5 total.
January 2011: I completed the index for the collection. Next I began work on weeding the collection of duplicate copies. Often the same folder would have several photocopies of the same article. These are being weeded to save space. 31.25 hours, 459.75 total.
February 2011: Continued weeding the collection up to Box 16. 29.5 hours, 489.25 total.
March 2011: Weeding continued up to box 32. 26.75 hours, 516 total.
April 2011: This month I took a break from Stewart and worked on transcribing oral history interviews on the history of the library. 30.5 hours, 546.5 total.
May 2011: Made a list of the original photographs with descriptions so we know what photos the collection contains. I ended up with a spreadsheet 300 lines long, with many more groups of photos taken in the 1990’s. By the middle of the month I finished weeding the collection. 29 hours, 575.5 total.
June 2011: This month marked two years since I and the other history room volunteers began working on this project. I worked on key-wording the collection index to assist in searching for information, and put all the spreadsheets into one master Excel file. 23 hours, 598.5 total.
July 2011: We decided this month to condense the material into the least number of boxes that we could in order to be able to use the extra boxes for other collections. 13.75 hours, 612.25 total.
August 2011: At the beginning of the month I finished condensing the boxes. Then I took a break for most of the month while it was decided what to do next on the project. 4.25 hours, 616.5 total.
September 2011: Worked on coming up with an arrangement for the collection based on subjects, then arranged the folders after the plan was approved. 11.75 hours, 628.25 total.
October 2011: Continued arranging the folder contents. 24.25 hours, 652.5 total.
November 2011: Completed the final arrangement of the collection and updated the finding aid to match the order of the folders. 11.25 hours, 663.75 total.
December 2011: With the folders all arranged, I double checked to make sure all of the folders were accounted for. Afterwards I made new labels for the boxes. This completed the document portion of the processing, and it was decided that we would wait for news on when we could open the room before working on more preservation and storage needs of the non-document material from the collection. 7.5 hours, 671.25 total.
July 2009: Processing folders. Original newspapers were copied onto archival copy paper to preserve the contents of the articles. The originals were kept as well. Examples of folders processed: Maps, and lots of “Miscellaneous” folders, which seemed to contain a little bit of everything. 16 hours, 24.5 total.
August 2009: Examples of folders processed this week included “Postcards” containing views of old Forest Grove, as well as lots of “Water Tower Views”, or photographs taken from the top of the town water tower showing the surrounding farms and valleys. Also processed were materials surrounding some of the citizens and business owners of Forest Grove. 22.5 hours, 47 total.
September 2009: Processed material on citizens of Forest Grove, including Friend S. Barnes, and Crosley, who owned a one of the photography studios in Forest Grove. 5.5 hours, 52.5 total.
October 2009: Eric Stewart wrote lots of historical articles for local newspapers in the 1990’s, and many of the folders processed this month included copies of those he submitted for publication. Among other material reviewed included material on the Hillsboro Library, Pacific University, and Genealogy inquiries. Stewart would sometimes perform family history research for individuals. 10.5 hours, 63 total.
November 2009: Processed folders of Forest Grove Maps, and material relating to Forest Grove pioneers Alvin Thompson Smith and the Hinman’s. 5 hours, 68 total.
December 2009: Folders processed this month included the many photographers and photography studios in early Forest Grove. Some folders even contained original photographs with the paper frames and foil studio labels still intact. 8 hours, 76 total.
January 2010: There were lots of Sanborn maps in this month’s material, showing the street names and property locations of the day. Tax lot maps give the names of property owners. Other folders reviewed included more photography studio folders, information on the Ihrig family, as well as articles and city ordinances concerning the 1911 city ordinances assessing bills to home owners for paving the section of street in front of their properties. 15.5 hours, 91.5 total.
February 2010: Some folders included The Shipley Family, more Photographers articles, the Masonic Lodge (the current site of McMenamins Grand Lodge), articles on the Forest Grove Library, founder A.T. Smith’s house, and reviews of local businesses of the time. 16.25 hours, 107.75 total.
March 2010: Folder topics included articles on the Congregational Church, street names and maps of property lines and lot owners of early Forest Grove. Many of the Forest Grove schools, some of which still stand today, had folders of material dedicated to them as well. I also started on the Street Car book. 22 hours, 129.75 total.
April 2010: This month was spend finishing the processing of the book on the Street Car, something which I’m sure will have much interest in the community. Several nice photos were included. The rest of the month was spent processing the “Exhibit” materials, folders of material used at a photography exhibit put on by Eric, as well as blown up tag-board photographs of early Forest Grove. These could be used to make a great display in the future showcasing the collection. 27 hours, 156.75 total.
May 2010: The beginning of this month was spent on processing many binders of negatives from Stewart’s copy photography. While the black and white film is still in relatively good shape, most, if not all, of the color negatives have blanched out to a light brown color. Despite this, people should be able to view and identify the people and places in these photographs. Later topics documented include maps of Washington County, Southern Pacific Railroad, and Historic Resource Inventories from the 1990’s. These include histories and photographs of Forest Grove homes which were given protected status as historic homes. 27 hours, 183.75 total.
June 2010: Received recognition for one year of volunteer service to the library. More Historic Homes Inventories were processed this month, as well as a copy of founder Alvin Thompson (A.T) Smith’s diary. Other examples of folders processed include Postcards (of Forest Grove views), Rotary Club, Genealogy, Tillamook Burn, and Hillsboro Obituaries. 37.75 hours, 221.5 total.
July 2010: Processed folders such as Telephone Directories, Propstra House and Creamery, and David’s Hill. I also went through a bunch of Eric’s proof sheets from his copy photography projects, most of which were accompanied by photo descriptions. 32.5 hours, 254 total.
August 2010: We have now filled up 43 archival boxes with Stewart material. Topics processed this month include Genealogy, Newspapers, Cemetery Index, and Forest Grove Theaters. I was also requested to make an inventory of what material from the collection remained upstairs, including slides, more photographs, and books belonging to the Stewart Collection. I also got to help Ismoon speak to the Friends of Historic Forest Grove at their monthly meeting about the collection and give a tour of the collection. This month the library held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Event to recognize all of the library volunteers. 30.75 hours, 284.75 total.
September 2010: This month some folders were shifted to make room for more material. Some material that was processed this month included Shipley Photos, Imbrie Farmstead, Old College Hall, and Cornelius. 32.5 hours, 249.25 total.
October 2010: Processing continued this month with folders such as Railroads-General History, Photographers, Schools, A.T. Smith Deeds, Gaston, and Liquor History. 24 hours, 373.25 total.
November 2010: This month an inventory was made of the remainder of the collection. Although there is only a couple boxes of documents left, there remains boxes of newspapers, slides, and published books, as well as many containers full of notecards with Eric’s notes on various subjects. Processed folders with lots of early obituaries and biographical notes, as well as material on the Forest Grove Creamery, which contained two original butter wrappers from products produced at the plant, Washington County Museum, and the bus depot. 25.25 hours, 398.5 total.
December 2010: I made an index of the collection, noting the folder titles, the box and folder numbers, and created short descriptions of each, this is to allow others to find specific folders when the need to. The folders were condensed into fewer boxes to save space and materials. 30 hours, 428.5 total.
January 2011: I completed the index for the collection. Next I began work on weeding the collection of duplicate copies. Often the same folder would have several photocopies of the same article. These are being weeded to save space. 31.25 hours, 459.75 total.
February 2011: Continued weeding the collection up to Box 16. 29.5 hours, 489.25 total.
March 2011: Weeding continued up to box 32. 26.75 hours, 516 total.
April 2011: This month I took a break from Stewart and worked on transcribing oral history interviews on the history of the library. 30.5 hours, 546.5 total.
May 2011: Made a list of the original photographs with descriptions so we know what photos the collection contains. I ended up with a spreadsheet 300 lines long, with many more groups of photos taken in the 1990’s. By the middle of the month I finished weeding the collection. 29 hours, 575.5 total.
June 2011: This month marked two years since I and the other history room volunteers began working on this project. I worked on key-wording the collection index to assist in searching for information, and put all the spreadsheets into one master Excel file. 23 hours, 598.5 total.
July 2011: We decided this month to condense the material into the least number of boxes that we could in order to be able to use the extra boxes for other collections. 13.75 hours, 612.25 total.
August 2011: At the beginning of the month I finished condensing the boxes. Then I took a break for most of the month while it was decided what to do next on the project. 4.25 hours, 616.5 total.
September 2011: Worked on coming up with an arrangement for the collection based on subjects, then arranged the folders after the plan was approved. 11.75 hours, 628.25 total.
October 2011: Continued arranging the folder contents. 24.25 hours, 652.5 total.
November 2011: Completed the final arrangement of the collection and updated the finding aid to match the order of the folders. 11.25 hours, 663.75 total.
December 2011: With the folders all arranged, I double checked to make sure all of the folders were accounted for. Afterwards I made new labels for the boxes. This completed the document portion of the processing, and it was decided that we would wait for news on when we could open the room before working on more preservation and storage needs of the non-document material from the collection. 7.5 hours, 671.25 total.