Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

A “Finders, Keepers: Researching and Preserving Your Arkansas History” workshop will be sponsored by the State Archives (also know as the Arkansas History Commission) on Saturday June 25. The workshop will be held in Room 171 of the Arkansas State Capitol, located at Third and Woodlane in Little Rock. All sessions will be led by State Archives employees.

The first session, “Maximum Arkansas History Commission: Making the Most of Your Visit to the State Archives” led by Archival Manager Russell P. Baker, begins at 9:30 a.m. “Researchers often travel many miles to visit a distant archives only to be disappointed in their quest of much hoped for information. The old adage ‘know before you go’ is especially true in this day of high fuel prices and harried schedules,” Baker said. He plans to discuss formulating research questions, identifying and locating possible sources, using nearby resources, and maximizing research visits to the History Commission.

At 10:15 a.m. Archivist Lynn Ewbank will present a program entitled “One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Gleaning Information from Arkansas Photographs.” She will instruct attendees on how to “use your family photographs to learn more information about your family by using notations, verbal comments, the photographer’s imprint, visual content, base material and additional research sources.”

“An Untapped Resource: Arkansas Land Records at the State Archives” is Archivist Jeff Lewellen’s 11 a.m. topic. Lewellen will speak on the variety of “documents and materials in the Arkansas State Land Records Collection” and “how to access the materials in the Arkansas State Land Records Collection.” Participants are on their own for lunch.

After lunch, “The Longley Family, A Case Study: Learning About Those Elusive Ancestors” discussion conducted by Christine Longley Gatewood, a library technical assistant, leads off the afternoon programs at 1:30 p.m. Rounding out the day is “A Lasting Arkansas Legacy: Preserving Family Heirlooms” at 2:15, moderated by Curator Julienne Crawford.

The workshop is free but registration is required because of limited seating. Certificates of attendance will be provided for teachers. For more information or to register, contact Jane Hooker at jane.hooker@arkansas.gov or (501) 682-6895.