Hopeful meeting about family history library future

Bill Shelton (foreground) addresses library staff and board members, including --- to his right --- Kris Murphy, library director; Jim Mefferd, board chair; and Tim McGee, board member.

I suppose I would describe as "hopeful" yesterday's meeting with the trustees of the Chariton Free Public Library in regard to the future of the family history collection/Lucas County history archive curated by the Lucas County Genealogical Society.

The collection, one of the most comprehensive and best organized local archives of its type in Iowa, has been housed in the library since the society was organized during 1976 and has served thousands of local residents as well as researchers from afar. Thousands of volunteer hours went into its development and organization.

Until 2011, the collection was housed in the original 1904 "history room" in the southeast corner of the Carnegie library's ground floor as well as the adjoining "coal room," reclaimed for public use by society volunteers.

Looking east toward the entrance of the family history library.

During 2011, Kris Murphy, library director, invited the society to move its collection into the far larger Allender Music Library, also on the ground floor, after the library staff disposed of the music collection and condensed all of its operations on the main floor of the building, leaving the ground floor otherwise vacant and unstaffed.

About 2015, the library board asked for the first time that the genealogical society pay rent for the space it occupied. A fairly modest annual amount, $1,200, was negotiated and a multi-year contract signed.

Looking west from the family history library entrance.

Some weeks ago, Ms. Murphy informed the the society that new plans for both the Allender room and the former archive rooms had been developed and that the society and its collection would need to vacate the building.

The item on the board agenda that drew several of us to Monday's meeting was a motion to terminate the genealogical society's contract as of June 30.

It's my understanding this morning that the motion to terminate was defeated (I had another commitment and had to leave after two hours of public forum involving it). The points those of us there to advocate for the society and its collection tried to make were (a) adversarial conflict between the society and the library staff and board needs to end and (b) the family history collection/history archive belongs at the library.

Terminating the current contract actually is of little consequence so long as there is a good faith guarantee that it will be renegotiated with good will and the interests of the entire community in mind.

The genealogical society purchased with its own funds and a South Central Iowa Community Foundation grant a new microfilm reader that gives access to an extensive collection of filmed county newspapers and courthouse records, among other items. Darlene Arnold, instrumental in developing the library, is shown here.

I especially appreciated the presence of Chariton Mayor Denny Bisgard, who urged the library staff and board and the genealogical society to work together to develop an amicable resolution; and attorney Bill Shelton, a most effective advocate for the society and the collection.

I also appreciated the thoughtful questions from and comments by library board members, many of them new and, I would guess, distressed by the current confrontational atmophere.