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Holyoke History Room
Temporary Location
Holyoke Community College
Library, 204 Donahue
303 Homestead Avenue
Holyoke, MA 01040
413-552-2842.
Curator/Archivist: Penni Martorell
Brochure
(pdf download with
Acrobat Reader) |
General Hours
Call First for
exact hours
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Closed Wednesdays
When HCC is in session
Monday
Evenings 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday Hours may be arranged by appointment
between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (except during the summer) |
General
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The Holyoke Public Library History Room &
Archive houses extensive collections that focus on Holyoke’s unique history
as it has developed as a planned city. The collections are available and
preserved for use in scholarly and genealogical research.
A copier is available to visitors
and many items can be scanned to email. The room is
open 20 hours a week and there is one Reference Librarian and two
volunteers. Exhibits and displays are coordinated at the Holyoke Public
Library and rotate quarterly. |
Materials
| The materials in the History Room &
Archive are non-circulating. Photocopying or scanning of selected materials
is available to patrons visiting the facility at a minimal cost ($0.25/copy
or microfilm print). Patrons are asked to bring their own writing materials
with them (laptops, notepads, pencils, etc…) Wireless access to the internet
is available. Please, No Pens, Food, Drinks or Chewing Gum.
Visitors are required to register in guestbook with a valid ID. |
Research Requests
Research correspondence and inquiries
concerning the collection should be directed to the Curator of the History
Room & Archive. Research requests take on average 7-14 days depending on the
complexity of the request. We ask for specific dates, names, spellings.
Vague requests are difficult to process and result in delays. We researchers to be
patient as the room is open 20 hours a week.
Obituary requests require full name, and exact date of death. As part of a
public library there is no charge for information requests only for copies.
(photocopies $0.25/each; microfilm prints $0.25/each). Research may be
requested by
e-mail, phone, 413-552-2842, fax
413-532-4230, or regular mail to Holyoke Public Library, 335 Maple Street,
Holyoke, MA 01040. |
If you are looking for Vital Records (Birth
Certificates, Death Certificates, or Marriage Certificates) please contact:
Holyoke City Clerk,
Susan Egan
536 Dwight Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: 413-322-5520 or Fax: 322-5521
These requests must be made in writing and take 10-14 days to process. |
Obituary Requests
| These requests require full
name, and exact date of death. As part of a public
library there is no charge for information requests only for copies
(photocopies $0.25/each, microfilm prints $0.25/each). All donations are
greatly appreciated, however, and help to keep the History Room running.
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Donations
| The History Room is interested in acquiring
manuscript material, photographs and other organizational records from
individuals, families, businesses, and other organizations associated
with Holyoke, MA or the Pioneer Valley. Donated materials must be clean
of mildew; physically stable; and fall within our Collecting policy. The
donation will be discussed with the donor and reviewed by the curator
and, if accepted, become the property of the Holyoke Public Library
History Room & Archive and will be made publicly available for research.
The Archivist/Curator is not able to supply any appraisal value to
donated items. This must be done by a professional appraiser for the
donee. All cash donations, and
gifts-in-kind are greatly appreciated as well, and help keep the History
Room functioning. |
Our
Temporary LocationThe
History Room and Archive possesses many invaluable and irreplaceable
resources regarding the history of Holyoke and surrounding communities.
Due to environmental problems within our 106 year old building, the
preservation of these historical records and original documents
has become increasingly difficult.
To avoid depositing this
valuable collection in inaccessible off site storage, the Library
Trustees have accepted the gracious offer of suitable space in the
Holyoke Community College Library where the Public Library’s Historical
Collection will continue to be available for research. The collection
will remain at the College Library, until the adverse conditions in our
Maple Street building can be addressed. At that time the
collection will return to its home in the Holyoke Public Library.
The History Room is now
open at the College on a schedule of 20 hours each week. Hours have been
planned to permit access for research at various times of the day to
accommodate schedules of patrons who have different work commitments.
Please call 413-552-2842 or email
martorellp@ci.holyoke.ma.us for hours. |
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