#LocalHistory Is…

Annual Meeting

This Friday and Saturday, the Ohio Local History Alliance will hold its annual meeting in Worthington, Ohio. In conjunction with the Society of Ohio Archivists, OLHA members will come together for a series of sessions celebrating an “Invitation to Innovation.” How do we engage shifting audience demographics? How do we maintain educational programs when schools no longer have time or funding for field trips? How do we advocate for history and humanities organizations when funding and support are limited? All of these questions and more will be discussed at the meeting.

So why should you come? Well, in my two years of attending, this meeting has been an annual reminder of why I love doing local history in Ohio and why it matters. In many ways, it has taught me what local history means to me. For me, #localhistory is…

• Dynamic: The local history landscape is always changing, and this meeting allows us to see what others are trying around the state. I expect to see a lot of this with the theme this year!
• Relevant: hearing from presenters, talking to attendees, and seeing the programs receiving awards reminds me how important local history can be, and just how big an impact we can have on the people we work with.
• A Community: Perhaps most of all, I appreciate the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and volunteers to re-invigorate my work and remind me of exactly why I’m so passionate about what I do.

So what does local history mean to you? You can tell us on Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag “#LocalHistory is…” and if you’re joining us at the meeting, don’t forget to include “#OLHA2015.”