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Fond du Lac Public Library unveils new online Fond du Lac local history collection
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Summary
Librarian John Serrano demonstrated a newly launched Fond du Lac collection on the library website that hosts digitized local history books, maps, directories, yearbooks and postcards, and includes a reporter index and partnerships with Winnefox and the County Historical Society.
John Serrano, the library's local history and genealogy librarian, demonstrated a new Fond du Lac collection on the public library website and walked council through its features.
"Under local history and genealogy, you can find the Fond du Lac collection, which is a brand new page that we've put together," Serrano said, and showed attendees how users can view scans of local history books, maps, atlases, city directories and digitized postcards. He described search tools, page‑level hits from OCR, and limitations of OCR accuracy, advising users to inspect scanned pages closely after a keyword search.
Serrano said the starter set is intended to help genealogists and researchers, and that partners include the Winnefox Library Network and the County Historical Society. He noted recent additions (county courthouse postcards from 1908) and plans to add more yearbooks and the county history; he also described a "book a local history librarian" service that offers one‑on‑one help to remote researchers.
Council members praised the work, asked about rotating displays and the library's 150th anniversary, and discussed partnerships with local schools and the historical society for scanning yearbooks. Serrano said the site is already serving out‑of‑state and international researchers.
Why it matters: The digital collection increases public access to primary local records, supports genealogical research and complements planned local history programs and displays. It makes historical materials searchable and accessible outside the library building.
Next steps: Library staff will continue adding material (including additional yearbooks and county history), expand partnerships and provide programming tied to the collection.
