The Maryland Women’s Heritage Center (MWHC), a statewide nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and preserving the stories of Maryland women, will be hosting an online program for those interested in helping to research and recognize Maryland women in history. The program will be held on Tuesday, April 25, from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM. This one-hour online program will stress the important role everyday citizens have in identifying women of history in their communities and the resources available to them locally to assist them in that effort. The program is open to anyone interested in Maryland women’s history, and while the information shared will be on Mountain Maryland women and libraries, those from other communities can learn of resources to explore in their own local libraries.
Entitled “How to be a Citizen Researcher”, the program has several goals, including stressing the importance of and need for citizen researchers in our knowledge about our communities, identifying the challenges of learning about and researching our women of history, and offering practical, basic, skill-based information and resources on how to get started with citizen research. A handout listing specific resources for getting started will be shared with participants.
Those interested in registering can do so free of charge at https://tunyurl.com/496z7mxh and should register in advance of the program.
The program will feature a staff member from the Garrett and Allegany County libraries as well as the two MWHC board members that represent Mountain Maryland. From the Ruth Enlow Library in Garrett County, Executive Director Thomas Vose will speak about the resources available to citizen researchers at the community library he manages and his suggestions to those who are doing or want to start to research people in their communities’ history or their families. Vose says that he and his staff are always excited to help citizen researchers look for helpful resources in their and other libraries across the state of Maryland.
Alison Cline, Coordinator of Events and Programs, will be representing the Allegany Library.
Also from Garrett County, MWHC Board Member Judy A. Carbone will discuss her research into Garrett County women of history, especially local Suffragists. Suffragists were those who supported women being given the right to vote more than 100 years ago when the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was certified. Garrett County suffrage history includes the women who participated in the 1914 Garrett County Suffrage Pilgrimage, the local women who met and were part of the Just Government League, and the women who were politically active in woman’s suffrage in Mountain Lake Park. Carbone will discuss one such woman and give examples of the resources used to research her story.
MWHC Board Member Cherie Snyder from Allegany County will discuss her experience researching Suffragists from her county. Snyder continues her work today to further uncover information on these women, some of which have yet to be identified. She is currently researching the lives of seven Allegany County women who were active in the suffrage movement and hopes that bringing their stories to life will inspire others to believe that “failure is impossible” (Susan B. Anthony) when passion and patience are applied to one’s dreams.
Both Carbone and Snyder say that they are committed to supporting the mission of the MWHC which is to “add HER story to history to tell OUR story!”
Thomas Vose has been the director of the Ruth Enlow Library since 2017. He received his MLIS from UCLA (2006) and an MA in history (2003) from UC Riverside and was a Eureka! Leadership Institute alumnus (2009). Thomas is active in the ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table, as well as in the MLA Futures of Libraries Interest Group and the Grantsville Lions Club. He reads a lot of history and nonfiction generally and likes to learn interesting new things about the world around us.
Allison Cline has been with the Allegany County Library System since 2017. She graduated from Frostburg State University (2015) with a degree in English Literature.
Judy Carbone has been a member of the MWHC since last summer, Carbone is also the President of the AAUW-Garrett Branch, a member of the Oakland Women’s Civic Club, and planning committee Chair for the annual Women’s Equality Day celebration in Garrett County, which will be held on August 25 this year.
Cherie Snyder retired from her full-time position as Professor of Human Service and Integrative Health at Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) and now continues to teach gerontology and mind/body skills as an adjunct. As a professor, she shares her love of history, social justice, and advocacy for women with her students, both in the classroom and on frequent road trips to historical sites.
