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What is the Local History Department?

The Eagle Valley Library District and the Eagle County Historical Society have a rich historical collection located at the Eagle Public Library. We are dedicated to sharing resources and information about Eagle County and the surrounding areas. For further information, to make a donation, or to make an appointment, please call: 970-328-8800 or email history@evld.org.

Collection Development: What We Collect & Why


As part of the Collection Development criteria for the Local History Department of Eagle Valley Library District, we accept items that:
  • Can be integrated into existing collections and maintained to the best of the Local History Department’s ability based on available space, time, and cost
  • Do not pose an immediate threat to other items currently in EVLD holdings (i.e. mold, pest or insect activity, etc.)
  • Fill a gap in the collection or contextually add meaning to other items currently in EVLD holdings
  • Can be adequately documented to be of use for researchers, patrons, and staff

These items include, but are not limited to:
  • Family photographs and negatives
  • Family heirlooms: awards, clothing, scrapbooks
  • Artifacts: eyeglasses, saddles, writing pouches
  • Eagle County records: taxes, registers
    • Those that are not included or have met/exceeded Eagle County retention schedules
  • Rare books, both mass publication and specialized
  • Personal, handwritten stories from Eagle County natives and pioneers
  • Annual government releases and reports: Forest Service, master plans, proposals
  • Newspapers and newspaper clippings
  • Maps, current and historical
  • Posters
  • Oral histories and transcriptions
  • Fiction, non-fiction, and new release books for general circulation
  • Dissertations and collections of scholarly research with a focus on Eagle County, western Colorado, and/or the western slope

Once received, these items are:
  • Subject to complete archival processing (any combination of preservation, inventory, rehoming, creation of collection guide, indexing)
  • Scanned (when available/necessary) for upload and web viewing
  • Cataloged for OPAC and patron searching
  • Stored at the Eagle Public Library

Through processing and cataloging, the Local History Department:
  • Develops downloadable documents available on the Local History website
  • Participates in social media using collected photographs, artifacts, and stories
  • Provides photographs for publications, newspapers, researchers, authors, etc.
  • Curates a circulating collection of works by local authors, scholarly research, and historical writings
  • Preserves items for long-term storage and safe use for future generations

Interested in making a donation or seeing the collection? Please make an appointment by calling: 970-328-8800, or emailing history@evld.org.

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