9 unexpected ways local studies have made a difference

The news about East Sussex is very disheartening, especially as it’s being replicated elsewhere – the Community History staff in Lancashire Libraries have also all gone. The threat to the collections, and the loss of the staff to maintain and give access to them, seems very short sighted just as the Libraries Taskforce consultation document is encouraging libraries to concentrate on learning, digital skills, community cohesion, sense of place, health etc – all areas where local studies can play a very important role (though local studies don’t seem to be mentioned at all in the consultation document). After decades working in local studies I decided to list some of the more unexpected uses of the collections which I remember –

Local studies libraries can provide important supporting material for HLF bids in other parts of the authority, for example refurbishment of Victorian urban parks.The extensive descriptions in the newspapers when the parks were opened often allowed the original planting to be reinstated and the huge number of Edwardian postcards and other illustrations meant almost entire parks are recorded. Staff can also point out biographical material on the benefactors to the parks.

Queries from Legal departments. The minutes of old council meetings were often found to be very basic records of decisions, and if the accompanying reports have not survived, newspaper accounts of the meetings were often required to fill in the background.

Maps are often used for boundary disputes and disputes over rights of way. I remember a young couple in their first house who visited because they had chopped down some trees which were inside their fence only to find that their neighbour claimed the land and the trees. The old OS maps confirmed their boundary line and by talking to other neighbours and comparing information with the old voters lists they were able to track down previous residents who had photographs which helped them.

We regularly used maps for the local homing pigeon society. Each new member’s house had to be pinpointed on the map and the exact grid reference noted.

Missing people. The old voters lists and Kellys Directories have often helped track down missing people, from family members to old school friends. They are important in providing proof of residence for legal reasons too, especially for people whose right to be in this country is being queried.

Local businesses sometimes want historical material for promotional purposes. I remember a graphic designer who had set up in a very unusual building on a corner. Staff were able to point him to a printed history of the local co-operative society which included a history of the building, which had been one of their shops, and several photographs. He incorporated this information into his prospectuses.

Many people (men!) who spent their working life in one trade want to keep themselves active by restoring some piece of old equipment connected with their work. Our large collection of cotton textbooks (used by workers who were trying to get on by studying their trade at night school) often helped later generations in their restoration projects. Sometimes we had the makers’ trade catalogues for the relevant machines too.

I’m sure many local studies libraries are contacted by people now living in the USA wanting proof that they finished their schooling. As we don’t have the “high school diploma” they need proof of their O levels and A levels. Often the list found in old newspapers is adequate, but the paper will also give a clue as to which exam board was used by each school so the enquirer can approach them too.

Most of these are very practical uses of our collections, but we all have stories of the emotional value of local materials. Since Who Do You Think You Are many people get very emotional as they find out about their family’s past and this helps link them to the area and build local identity. But I also remember doing a talk for a group who met at one of the lending libraries. I played extracts about housework from our oral history collections and was a bit worried that one woman seemed to take the event over, she kept adding her memories of helping her mother. I was afraid the rest of the group felt excluded until one of the others told me later that this lady had never even spoken at any previous meetings of the group. I also remember a girl whose father had committed suicide when she was very young. She was seeing a counsellor who had suggested that she find out more about how he died so she came to read the newspaper account of the inquest. She was very upset, but glad that she knew what had happened.

I feel very concerned that these important collections are under threat and that we are losing the staff who can preserve them for the future and help people get the most out of them today.

Do you have any other examples of how local studies work has made a difference to the local community or individuals within it? Please leave a comment to this blog