On Inauguration Day, we set up a video camera in the Library rotunda and asked customers to create 2-5 minute testimonials capturing their immediate thoughts and reactions to the day's events.

Over a 7-hour period, 55 people recorded their experiences and nearly 100 people have submitted written accounts (and illustrations!) to date. It is our hope that these voices will be of value to future students, teachers, historians and scholars interested in what Topekans had to say about this historic event as it unfolded in front of us.

We also streamed the Inauguration live via CNN/Facebook, which allowed for some random footage of the ceremony as it played out in the Library Rotunda. Unfortunately, the video in its entirety is too big to upload in tact, so it has been broken down into smaller, YouTube-friendly segments.

This is the first time the Library has had technology of this nature to capture history in the making, and I hope to build on this archive by continuing to use the medium for community storytelling. If you are interested in participating in the written portion of this project, contact me, Heather Kearns, at the Sabatini Gallery by phone (785-580-4589) or email: hkearns@tscpl.org.

Making History will be stored permanently in the Library's Special Collections archive. 

Enjoy!

PS—the final four (there are nine segments total) are STILL uploading to YouTube, so tune in tomorrow and I'll have them posted…Here are five to get you started: