On September 15, the Ignacio Community Library (ICL), will host a celebration that not only celebrates ten years in its current building but the relationship it has with partnering groups and/or organizations.
There will be entertainment, face painting, a silent auction, food, and more. Local organizations will have information booths so the public can learn more about their stories. The celebration event begins at 5:00 to 7:30 pm at Ignacio Community Library 470 Goddard Avenue.
Today the ICL sits on its original lot in a new building completed in 2007. The need for a small town library began in 1987. By 1991 the library served over five thousand people in the surrounding area.
ICL now serves residents of the community and the surrounding areas offering numerous programs addressing literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL), computer skills, popular programs for children and young adults, including a summer reading program and free Internet access.
In addition to the unique programming, the ICL launched an online archive project titled, The Voices of Ignacio. The project began January 2016 and was received with enthusiasm. This began under the American Library Association Latino Americans: 500 Year of History grant. It was a modest grant that helped catapult an idea into reality.
As Project Director, I enlisted the help of public history experts to assist in technical and procedural support. The project really took off in spring 2016 when I was invited by Kristine Navarro-McElhaney to attend workshops at Arizona State University where I met leading oral historian, Dr. Doug Boyd.
One of the biggest contributors to the project was University of Arizona doctoral candidate Joshua Salyers whom I met through the Center of Southwest Studies, as he was at Fort Lewis College on a fellowship.
It’s possible that the project will never be completed, but with fifteen interviews I feel the upcoming Celebrating Stories event is a perfect opportunity to showcase the collected stories.
A preliminary exhibit of the Voices of Ignacio Oral History Project will be on display the evening of Friday, Sept. 15, but you can view the poster exhibit in the library from Oct. 2 — Dec. 29, 2017.