Introducing Historigal, SLIS Intern Extraordinaire

If you hail from these parts, as I do, you undoubtedly have personal memories of how your hometown (Mooresville, Indiana, for those who don't so hail) used to be, and how it has changed over the years.  There is a place in which to recapture the town's, and quite possibly your own, past.  Perhaps you've seen it at my Library; I've blogged about it before.  It is (drum roll, please) . . .

I Call It the Roving Reporter Room

Through mid-July my Library is fortunate to have a soon-to-graduate intern from the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at Indiana University-Bloomington.  (The Lady With the Red Hair is a graduate of this program.)  Our intern's name is Megan, but her "Cauli name" is Historigal.  ("Cauli names" are like the secret names of Native American islanders in the children's novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell.  Unfamiliar?  Our book trailer will enlighten.)

Through mid-July you will find Historigal in the MPL Indiana Room, among other places throughout the Library.  She is ready, able, and willing to answer your toughest questions about local, county, and state history, and she will help with your genealogical research.  (Meanwhile, Scowl-Face, who used to live in the Indiana Room, is out wandering aimlessly somewhere.)  Since Historigal has roots in Martinsville, she knows Morgan County well.  Just try to stump her with your questions!  Not going to happen, let me tell you.  She is a highly trained librarian, with the coveted M.L.S. (Master of Library Science) degree under her belt.  That title, "Master of . . .," is not used lightly in academia.  It is meant to be taken literally.  An M.L.S. librarian is a Master of the Know.  If they don't know where the information is right off the top of their heads, they can track it down for you.  Zoom!  Just like that.

 MPL Indiana Room

Boss Lady, Broadway Gal, and Anime/Manga Gal, as well as The Lady With the Red Hair, already have their M.L.S. degrees; soon, so will Historigal.  Then, you had better watch out!  That's one tough group of gals, I hope you know.  They take their librarianshipping seriously.

So what will you find if you visit our Indiana Room?  Well, there's history about Mooresville, Morgan County, and Indiana; primarily local genealogy resources; and a public computer to access online genealogical and historical databases.  MERLIN awaits to bigify text (or other items) for your viewing ease and pleasure.  (Thanks to Tober for the word bigify.)  There is a complete set of Mooresville High School yearbooks to peruse.  We have thousands of historical photographs.  Local newspapers and genealogical materials are available on microfilm.  You may search local obituaries there or go to our online database, Legacy Links, which is under "databases" on the menu bar along the left side of our website's home page.  We have thousands of vertical files with loads of historical material--there's probably a file on your ancestors, if they lived in the area--and our local history handouts are available, either on displays in the room or online at our Indiana Room blog.  There are BOPs (or at least a sculpture thereof) and paintings by local artist Clifton Wheeler.  There are portraits of J.P. Calvert, local photographer and Civil War veteran; and Wanda Potts, MPL Indiana Room Librarian from 1966-2002 and the true town historian (Scowl-Face only has pretensions).  The Library's Indiana Room has it all.  If it has anything to do with our community's history, then this is the place you'll find it.

What are BOPs, you wonder?  Not post-World War II jazz-style music, at least in my meaning.  We have a sculpture of two eagles battling in the air--is that a sufficient hint?  Ordinarily, I call such flying fellows winged dinners, but eagles are ginormous, so they are hardly anybody's supper.  Instead, you could very well be their supper.  So best to give a wide berth, that's what I'm saying.

Come visit and give Historigal a hard time.  Just kidding.  Ask her some stuff; she'll be glad to help.  If you see Scowl-Face wandering around, point him in the right direction back here.  Your work doesn't do itself, you know, Scowlly.

Living Local History Every Day,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Local History News Beat

P.S.  When recollecting songs about personal history, I begin with "Old Days," by Chicago, from the album Chicago VIII (1975).

"Souvenirs," by Dan Fogelberg, from his Souvenirs LP (1974), might just be my favorite Fogelberg tune.

Then there's "Photograph," by Ringo Starr (co-written with George Harrison), from Ringo's album, Ringo (1973).