The Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) is providing funding to hire an archivist at the Glenwood Springs Historical Society and Frontier Museum.
“We believe that this falls well within the mission of the library,” GCPLD Executive Director Jamie LaRue told The Sopris Sun in an email. “It also encourages collaboration among ‘memory’ institutions in the county — organizations maintaining a repository of public knowledge.”
During a GCPLD sponsored summit for museums in the county, “We learned about some priceless and irreplaceable artifacts in Glenwood,” continued LaRue. “On the advice of staff at the Colorado State Library … we decided to do a pilot project.”
LaRue said that due to a two-year bump in oil and gas revenues, the library was able to set aside money for the temporary (two-year) position. The staff proposed the temporary position, and the board of trustees approved it as part of its 2024 budget.
The goal of the position is to help identify and catalog key historical documents for Garfield County and Glenwood Springs. The job description for the position details responsibilities, including:
• Inventory and describe the collections using the PastPerfect computer program with the help of volunteers;
• Complete major projects in progress, including inventory and cataloging the Carlton Hubbard photograph collection, the Storm King Mountain wildfire collection, and the Al Maggard collection (the publisher of the Daily Reminder newspaper);
• Help prioritize the digitization and organization of the collections.
According to the job description, the archivist should hold a high school diploma or GED and be proficient in Microsoft and Google Suite applications. However, it continued that “Preferably, the person will have experience as a museum volunteer or be enrolled in a master’s program for archival science.”
The position can be full or part-time, pays $18.78 an hour and includes some benefits.
The library district’s slogan is: “Find Your Story.” The district has found that some of the best stories reside in museums, LaRue stated.
“It is our hope that our efforts will help ensure that this history is preserved, and that the library pointing to those resources will direct more traffic to these valuable institutions,” he stated. “It’s also an opportunity to invest in new educational opportunities for area residents.”
Other actions:
• The application period for the vacant board seat opens Feb. 23 and closes on March 23. The board expects to fill the vacancy at its April 6 meeting. Application letters should be sent to Jamie LaRue at jlarue@gcpld.org
• Board meetings can now be attended on Zoom. Go to the district’s website (www.gcpld.org) and click on “Board of Trustees” for a list of upcoming meetings.
• The board will have its retreat on Feb. 20 in Rifle and expects to approve a new strategic plan sometime after that.
Carbondale highlights:
• Carbondale Historical Society’s Sue Gray presents “The Early History of Carbondale,” where she recounts the Town’s formative years through the eyes of early entrepreneur William M. Dinkel. That’s on March 11 at 6pm.
• Local guitarist Mateo Sandate leads “The Spirit of Music: A Journey Through ‘The Music Lesson,’” a three-part discussion to dissect “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music,” a book by five-time Grammy-winning musician Victor Wooten. The group will read the book and discuss elements of music. Musicians and non-musicians alike are welcome. The discussions occur at 2pm on March 2, 9 and 16.
• Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre presents “One-Acts in the Stacks” on March 2 at 7pm. The theater group will perform three one-act plays: “The Bear” by Anton Chekhov, “Suppressed Desires” by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook and “Collect Call” by Kristin Hopkins.
• In celebration of Black History Month, GCPLD, Aspen Dance Connection and Colorado Mountain College present “A Taste of Ghana.” The event features dance and drum performance group Logo Ligi, a Colorado-based troupe dedicated to celebrating West African dance. Catch the show on Feb. 24 in Parachute, Rifle, Silt or New Castle, or Feb. 25 at 1pm in Carbondale or 3pm in Glenwood Springs.
For more information, visit www.gcpld.org