My Library Is... Learning Local History

The Macomb High School library was honored to receive the My Library Is... Grant in the amount of $5,000. This grant is sponsored by the RAILS Library System and promotes collaborative projects between libraries and their community.

Ms. Pittman’s and Ms. Eddington’s English students visited the Western Illinois University (WIU) Archives and Special Collections Library and the WIU History Department. Dr. John Hallwas, President of the Illinois Historical Society, engaged the students with a thought-provoking presentation on Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology.

Dr. Hallwas explained the historical background of life here in central Illinois that Masters knew so well, and such matters as the nature of small-town culture and the varieties of individual struggle, which is portrayed so effectively in Edgar Lee Masters's poems. Dr. Hallwas also explained and showed some of the regional historical artifacts, such as county and town histories, diaries, letters, maps, photographs, and newspaper articles of life as it was, and now is, in West-Central Illinois. Following Dr. Hallwas’s presentation, History Professor Dr. Timothy Roberts explained the adventures and challenges the pioneers encountered on the Oregon Trail, which was the primary westward route for American pioneers in the nineteenth century. 

Ms. Pittman’s and Ms. Eddington’s students followed up by conducting research on Edgar Lee Master’s poetry and Westward Expansion, accessing primary and secondary sources on the EBSCO Host Online Database.  These sources and subscription to the EBSCO Host Online Database were provided by funds from the My Library Is... Grant that Macomb High School Librarian, Carol Lock, was awarded.   

During the last two years, the WIU Archives and Special Collections and History Department have been hosting junior high and senior high school classes from nearby schools. The Archives and Special Collections Librarian, Kathy Nichols, has been instrumental in developing these outreach opportunities.  

Today's blog post was written by Carol Lock, Librarian, Macomb High School. 

This project was made possible by the My Library Is... Grant.