Eklund Center Reopens; Research Center Ready for Inquiries
Posted on Mar 21, 2008 in categories Press Releases, Research Center
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Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, the Eklund History Center, 377 Park Ave., has reemerged from six months of construction. As a result, the Research Center is again open for questions of all kinds regarding Glencoe history, family history or genealogy.
Begun at the end of last summer, work has been done on the facility to make sure the former attic can hold the capacity of archives and artifacts now open to the public in the Research Center. Among the work done was installation of wall board, a new air conditioning system for the second floor, new wall board and structural strengthening for the second floor.
As a result, the former dark, dank attic now is bright. New paint and lighting have made the Research Center much more accessible for researchers or those interested in finding information about their families or their houses. Research Center Director Ellen Paseltiner says she is “delighted” with the new space. “We can find what we need more easily and help people looking for information in a much faster way,” she says.
Historical Society board members spent March 15 moving the archives and artifacts back into the space that had been closed. What once was difficult—for instance, finding the phone book from Glencoe and Winnetka in 1906—is now as simple as finding a numbered shelf. Additional storage has been installed as well, as more residents donate items to the collection.
One of the newer acquisitions is a black history scrapbook, put together since the mid 1970s by resident Lun Ye “Lonnie” Crim Barefield. The new scrapbook is now filed and available for viewing.
The Research Center at the Eklund History Center will be open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. (except recognized holidays). Call for information or to make an appointment to research, 847.835.0040.