Thursday, October 07, 2010

Governor's Archives Awards Recognize La Crosse Public Library; Susan Braden

Winners of the 2010 Governor's Archives Awards include the La Crosse Public Library Archives Department for Archival Achievement and Susan Braden, Hedberg Public Library, for Archival Innovation.

According to the announcement by the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board and the Wisconsin Historical Society, the La Crosse Public Library Archives Department was selected for its work promoting archives and preserving local history for the local community the past 30 years. Aside from collecting, processing, and making available archival material, the department has supported students participating in National History Day, provided historical images and information for a book and program about the La Crosse area, received a grant to digitize La Crosse area maps, and created the Footsteps of La Crosse website.

Susan Braden, a reference librarian at the Hedberg Public Library, received recognition for her work to transcribe and digitize General Motors sit-down strike oral histories in order to make them available on the Internet. These oral histories detail the work, union, family, and social life of 12 men who had either participated in the 1937 GM sit-down strike in Janesville, or who worked in other Janesville industries. Originally on audiocassettes, these interviews were converted into podcasts with accompanying transcripts and are now available on the Hedberg Public Library's website.

Susan is also the recipient of this year's WLA Muriel Fuller Award for her oral history work.

The 2010 winners each receive a $500.00 gift certificate from DEMCO, Inc.

La Crosse Tribune article

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