Provided by Prince William Public Libraries | Written by Mary Kitiyakara, Senior Librarian, RELIC
RELIC’s Preservation Lab has brought many people from Prince William County and nearby counties to RELIC to preserve photos, videos, reels of film, and slides that lay in boxes passed down from loved ones who passed on, or memories that have not been visited in a long time. The common link between all of them is that they all came with stories that, for various reasons, needed to be shared or preserved for special occasions, family gatherings, or to create something to build upon for future generations to know their past.
RELIC’s goal is to assist people who are searching for the past through genealogy and local history services. Through programming, RELIC demonstrates how traditional crafts, photographs, historic sites, and local history can be taught in ways that inspire people to learn something new while gaining insight into the value of preserving the past.
It’s been a successful year with programming funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Preservation Lab, with nearly 200 people coming in to digitize their family histories. These encounters have brought a lot of joy not only to the patrons but also to the staff. People were very open about sharing stories from their past and the associated events, some dating back to World War II, or early reel footage of space shuttle launches from the 1960s. Several future historians from George Mason stopped by for programs, the lab, and to volunteer for upcoming projects.
Next year, RELIC will expand on its efforts by visiting with people in other parts of the county who would like to learn about RELIC and by reaching out to community organizations interested in preserving and sharing their histories through oral history projects. They will also work with History majors from local colleges and universities on projects in RELIC, since they have started receiving requests from students to create displays or work on archival and history projects.
“We thank everyone who supported us this year through your attendance in programming, researchers who utilized our collections for research, the generosity of donations, college students sharing your interest in local history, genealogy, and new ways of preserving history, and those who visited with us week after week to preserve your personal histories and share your stories. We enjoy assisting people through traditional research using our extensive collection, as well as through technology, grants, and outreach to expand RELIC and continue our tradition of serving the community and connecting the past with the present, keeping local and state history alive for generations to come.” – The staff of RELIC.