UW Archivist Leslie Waggener Co

University of Wyoming American Heritage Center Archivist Leslie Waggener is the co-author of a new book that will be useful to a variety of library users.

She and local librarian Kathy Marquis wrote “Local History Reference Collections for Public Libraries,” published by the American Library Association. Writing from their own experiences and sharing examples and ideas from other libraries around the country, the authors present a start-to-finish guidebook for creating a local history reference collection that local communities will embrace and use regularly.

“A collection of local history materials is useful to a wide variety of library users, from genealogists and family historians, to patrons researching the history of their home or church and local students searching for class project resources,” according to a book review. “The authors write in a to-the-point manner that facilitates easy implementation.”

The book demonstrates why local history reference collections are important and explains the differences between a local history reference collection and an archive. It offers guidance for determining gathering materials, cataloging and processing and collaborating with other local history organizations, and it gives tips for marketing and outreach, including how to bolster local collections’ presence on the Web and in social media.

During her 14 years at the AHC, Waggener has worked with all types of historical materials in areas of reference, processing and acquisition.

In her nearly 40 years as an archivist and librarian, Marquis has directed reference in a variety of settings, including a large state historical society, university archives and special collections.