Preservation Week, April 26 - May 2, 2015

 

Did you know that each of us can help preserve our nation’s history? As spring cleaning is underway, many in our community will be left to contemplate how to preserve new-found treasures.    That old letter from Grandma, or that 1970s vacation photo collecting dust in your attic may hold clues to our nation’s past.  The theme of Preservation Week is “Pass it on,” and your Decatur Public Library offers a selection of materials that can assist you in protecting your heirlooms for generations to come.  

Key environmental factors that place collections at risk*

• Light: Ultraviolet rays from natural and artificial sources can cause fading and disintegration.
• Pollutants: Dust is abrasive and can accelerate harmful chemical reactions.
• Heat: High temperatures can accelerate deterioration.
• Moisture: High humidity promotes mold growth, corrosion, and degradation, while excessive dryness can cause drying and cracking. Fluctuations between extremes can cause warping, buckling and flaking.

 Key items that should be preserved

Historical materials that are unpublished and one-of-a-kind, such as:

• architectural drawings 
• artifacts 
• audio and video recordings 
•  diaries 
• genealogical information 
• letters 
• maps 
• memoirs/reminiscences 
• minutes/reports 
• photo albums and photographs 
• printed materials 
• professional and business papers 
• speeches/lectures

Throughout this week we will have a page on our website devoted to resources to help YOU preserve your own special collections.  You will also find a list of books we have that are devoted to how to care for specific types of collections and object.  So stop by our website and learn how to make sure that your family history carries on!

Preservation Week is sponsored by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association.

* Source: Utah State History Website: http://history.utah.gov/experience_history/preserve_history/documents_photos.html

Money Smart Week/Financial Literacy Month

Money Matters

Decatur Public Library Partners with BBVA Compass to

Offer Tips for Taking Charge of Your Money

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Consumers are feeling more pinched each week with rapidly increasing gas and food prices and sluggish economic growth.  According to a recent survey by Career Builder, 77 percent of American consumers are living paycheck to paycheck.

Financial Literacy Month is the perfect opportunity for individuals and families to change their financial situation by learning about important financial matters like creating and managing a budget, paying down debt while saving for emergencies, and creating achievable financial goals. 

Additionally, Money Smart Week is April 18^th – 25^th.  Created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, Money Smart Week® is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country, including Decatur Public Library.

The program, “Money Matters,” will take place on Wednesday, April 22^nd at 6pm in the Decatur Public Library Community Room.  Tanja Miller from BBVA Compass Bank in Decatur will present the FDIC Financial Literacy Curriculum which covers the basics of personal spending, setting financial goals,

and managing your income.  This event is free and open to everyone.   More information is available at www.decatur.lib.al.us.

And beginning Monday, April 20^th, we will have personal finance workbooks and informational brochures available.   The literature will be on the triangular kiosk in front of the New Books shelf on the main floor.   If you’re paperless, check out the very helpful links listed on our website (linked from the Decatur Public Dollar)!

Happy Saving!