Heritage board presses to consolidate city archives, assigns outreach to volunteers and consultants

At its Aug. 28 meeting the Larksburg Heritage Preservation Board devoted much of its agenda to an extended review of municipal archival materials and planning for a dedicated archival room in the new library.

Marilyn River, a long-time volunteer who said she previously helped catalog material, described dispersed storage across city facilities, the existence of negatives in a safe-deposit box, and the need to consolidate photographs, documents and artifacts into a climate-controlled space in the forthcoming library. "I'm hoping there may be one or more board members who are interested in looking into this and I'd be happy to work with them in whatever way I can," Marilyn said.

Board members and staff identified several immediate tasks: locate the high-resolution scanner and original TIFF files from prior scanning; verify access to any offsite backups; inventory objects and accession records; contact Heather For (the collections consultant who produced a prior report), consult Lori Thompson at the county library about archival-room standards, and seek volunteer or student support from local university programs.

The board discussed inventory figures cited in earlier reports and noted inconsistent summaries: a 2012 report referenced in meeting materials stated "20%" of photographs had been scanned, while a later memo suggested a higher completion rate; the board therefore agreed to treat both numbers as provisional and to verify the true scope during hands-on inventory work. Board members emphasized that some high-priority items (negatives, physical objects such as a brick mold, framed documents and videotapes) must be found, photographed and accessioned before the library move.

Practical details were assigned: Sonia and Marilyn will reach out to Heather For; Rich (board member Richard Stok) agreed to contact a local history museum contact; another member will contact Lori Thompson at the county library; and Alex (planning/staff) will attempt to locate documentation and the previously used scanning equipment. The board agreed to place updates on the September agenda to report progress and to coordinate volunteer outreach and potential use of Heritage Board funds for consultant support.

Board members also discussed public engagement tied to the city-hall remodel and the new library: two public open-house tours were scheduled (Sept. 15 and Oct. 2) and the board agreed to use those events to raise awareness of archival plans and recruit volunteers. The board emphasized the need for a professional collections review rather than attempting to complete all tasks without expert guidance.

Next steps: board members will report back at the September meeting with outreach results and a clearer inventory; staff will consolidate any existing digital backups and document where physical artifacts are stored.