Chatham Area Public Library will host “Preserving Family and Local History Memories: Scan Day” on Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00pm -3:00pm

Help Chatham Area Public Library capture a vital part of our community’s heritage and preserve it for future generations. Our upcoming Scan Day offers an opportunity to preserve personal items that have a connection to the Chatham area for posterity .

Chatham’s cultural heritage is found in homes where family mementos are preserved, and photos are cherished. Do you have photos containing people, places, events, or buildings of the Village of Chatham or the surrounding area in family photo albums? This also could include letters, memoirs, posters, menus, brochures or artwork. Any souvenirs or other artifacts related to the history of the Village of Chatham or surrounding area are welcome!

Gather any of these important items and bring them to the Library's Scan Day! Take advantage of this free opportunity to have your items scanned and returned to you.

You will be able to scan up to 15 photos or items for digital preservation. Appointments can be made for a 30 minute time slot at https://www.chathamlib.org/monthly-calendar.

It is helpful to have as much information as is known including when and where the photo was taken and names of those in the photos or when the artifact was created.

Two digital copies will be made: One for you to take home, we will have USBs available for all who participate. And if allowed, the second digital copy will be uploaded to Facebook and the Chatham Area History Collection on the Illinois Digital Archive which is indexed and archived for history buffs everywhere to enjoy.

If you participate in the Chatham Area History Collection, you will be required to sign a non-exclusive license agreement Please contact Alanna Sablotny, local history and genealogy reference librarian at asablotny@chathamlib.org or 217-483-2713 with any questions.