JAHSENA to have their first ever Library Program: September 22

By Karen Hering, Library Committee Chair

(Edmonton) – The Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta (JAHSENA) is finally getting ready to showcase its wonderful library and new online catalog. Who would have thought when a small group of dedicated volunteers took on the monumental task of cataloguing and processing nearly 2000 items, setting up an online catalog, in which anyone can search the collection from anywhere, updating it through donation and purchase, writing policy for circulation and collection development, and accepting/rejecting donations — that it would take almost three years!

This task required human handling of every item at least three times but now we are nearing fulfillment of our goal and have in our midst a true gem. The collection, like public libraries, uses the Dewey Decimal system, and focuses on Western Canadian, particularly local, Jewish authors and publications, antisemitism, the Holocaust and genealogical resources, the development of Jewish communities around the world and the history of local and national Jewish organizations. In addition, there are select resources on most aspects of Jewish life and Israel.

We will be offering our first training session on how to search for and access materials using the catalog on September 22^nd at the JAHSENA office. Anyone is welcome!

In the meantime, you can browse the library catalog at: https://www.librarycat.org/lib/Jahsena

Please email JAHSENA at jahsena@shaw.ca to let us know you are coming.  A big THANK YOU to Jewish Federation of Edmonton for providing funding for the event.

Looking forward to seeing you there!