Kansas City Archives Bazaar

The Kansas City Area Archivists and the Kansas City Public Library are putting on the city's first-ever archives bazaar this Saturday, October 10, at the Central Library. It's a free event running from 1 PM to 4 PM in the Helzberg Auditorium, part of the library's 250 & Counting series, which marks America 250 and National Archives Month. That second one is a nationwide effort led by the Society of American Archivists to get people thinking about why historic documents, records, and the people who keep them actually matter.

If you've ever wondered what to do with a shoebox of old family photos or a stack of letters from a relative you barely knew, this is your chance to get some real answers. There are three sessions on the schedule: Laura Darnell from the Black Archives of Mid-America talks about caring for family photographs and papers; Marie Cayce from the National World War I Museum and Memorial covers digitizing personal and family collections; and John Mason from the Midwest Genealogy Center leads a session on community archives. Between those, you can talk directly with representatives from different archives about their collections and services, and get tips from local experts on how to preserve your own family history.

It's not all lectures and advice, though. There are puzzles and games built around historical photographs to play, a tour of the Missouri Valley Room Special Collections, and a chance to register for door prizes. If you've spent any time in the Central Library, you know the Missouri Valley Room is where a lot of the city's deep history lives, so getting a guided look inside is a nice perk.

As part of the 250 & Counting series, all of the library's October events are free and open to the public. The bazaar runs from 1 PM to 4 PM on Saturday, October 10, in the Helzberg Auditorium at the Central Library, 14 West 10th Street.