The Halton Hills Public Library has opened the door for new historians, amateur or otherwise, to try their hand at research.
The local institution has updated its history kits - a tool designed to simplify research for people who would otherwise find the process intimidating.
The update has been unveiled for the 50th anniversary of the Town of Halton Hills, which librarian Kaitlin Sonneveld says has created more interest in local history.
“I think interest has always been there, but now it (the anniversary) is just inspiring people to act on it,” Sonneveld said.
But the municipality's birthday isn't the main reason behind the update. The kits themselves are about a decade old. When Sonneveld started working at the library two or three years ago, she noticed the kit materials were student-centric. She made the case to update them to appeal to adult users as well.
“We had booklets in them that were all junior books,” she said, noting the library has a whole collection of adult non-fiction, as well as other resources. "So we've updated it (the history kits) to be for everyone. We have stuff in here for all ages.”
Those who sign out history kits receive several resources. The filing box contains history books, including ones by local historian Mark Rowe - author of The History of Leathertown and Georgetown: Reflections of a Small Town.
But perhaps the most valuable tool is the Local History Resource Kit booklet. This seemingly innocuous book is the researcher’s gateway to all of the library’s history resources. Its pages contain strategies for using online search tools - like Archeion - that aren’t as intuitive as Google.
“You can type anything into Google - it will kind of figure it out. But a lot of these historical databases aren't as good at 'reading your mind.' So you have to be very specific with what you're putting into them,” Sonneveld said.
Resource guides provide reading lists based on common topics like Black and Indigenous history and national history.
The kits can be reserved online and borrowed for a six-week period.
