Local studies in spotlight
LEICESTERSHIRE and Rutland Family History Society’s Loughborough Group latest meeting introduced us to the diverse activities and work of the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers Group.
Our speaker, Gill, began by asking if any of the audience had used the Local Studies section – thankfully a reasonable proportion of us put up our hands!
The volunteers have very varied expertise: e.g. some specialise in Local History, others are genealogists whilst others have information technology skills. Their broad aim is to protect, enhance and improve access to local history.
Though they receive no funding from Leics C.C., they still need to show that they actually ‘do’ something – at which point, Gill showed us a pocket-sized folded leaflet for a Guided Walk round sites in town associated with the Women’s Suffrage movement.
She also drew our attention to a series of books which they’ve been able to produce on a variety of themes. Anyone wishing to buy their books needs to pay with cash and in the Local Studies section.
Volunteers may work on local records or become involved with specific projects. A forum exists to reduce the risk of overlap. The enquiry route ranges from casual callers (like the American who dropped in one day!) to serious researchers, wanting maps etc., along with people wishing to donate items to the collection. Given the limited space, these can’t always be accepted but sometimes material can be photocopied.
As an example, Gill told us about bidding for the major project of researching markets and fairs for Charnwood Borough Council, for the recent anniversary, and for which they worked with the museum services.
Another research project involved tracking down some of the surviving ‘Y listeners’ from the Beaumanor Hall WW2 listening station. The information they found is now on permanent display at the Hall.
They have a good network locally, acting as a heritage watchdog, besides campaigning for green or blue plaques as appropriate. With an eye to the future, they started a 21st Century Photographic Loughborough project. The next project will be relating to the Carillon war memorial. They can still find things in the collection that they didn’t know they had! A recent example was an envelope which proved to be full of letters sent to a
Quorn family from relatives in Canada. These provided material for one of their publications.
The group try to participate in the local community, such as attending the Beaumanor History Fair where such networking can be invaluable, besides welcoming visitors to the library and introducing them to what Local Studies has to offer.
There is no charge for research and as a centre of excellence, they aim to be professional in conduct, always giving correct information.
Though the group’s main focus is on Loughborough town, they have material on most of the surrounding villages, including having recently indexed the map collection.
Gill spoke about the sense of achievement that comes from preparing and completing a new book or finding an answer to someone’s enquiry. This led into a series of examples which drew in the audience and brought the presentation to a conclusion – along with an invitation to join them as a volunteer!