Syracuse Library News
The Weaver/Fick Wawasee Film, which was filmed in 1936 on Lake Wawasee and released in 1937, is a very early color film constructed as a travelogue of Wawasee. With stops at many important businesses and landmarks on the lake shore, it also has an emphasis on documenting the sailing, sport and fun on the lake.
The film is narrated by Jim Fick, the son of one of the filmmakers. The DVD also features a rare promotional film made for the Spink-Wawasee Hotel in the 1930’s to promote the grounds, facilities and amenities of the Spink-Wawasee Hotel. This film features many inside shots of the interior of the Spink at that time, as well as the staff and the orchestra working at the Spink.
The third film is a vacation film that was shot mostly at the Spink-Wawasee Hotel sometime in the 1930’s and is a fun and fantastic look at what a typical summer holiday would consist of on Lake Wawasee at that time. All three films were digitally converted from the original film reels earlier this year by the Syracuse Public Library in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the town of Syracuse to benefit the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum.
The DVD is $20 and all proceeds go to benefit the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum to support their important mission of preserving the history of Syracuse and Lake Wawasee.
E-Books
The Syracuse Public Library is expanding its services with e-books and audiobooks to download from the library’s website. Library card holders can check out and download digital media anytime, anywhere by visiting http://cidc.lib.overdrive.com beginning on Sept. 1.
Users may browse the e-book collection, check out with a valid library card, and download to PC, Mac, various e-readers and many mobile devices. Users will need to install free software.
Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period. There are no late fees. This new service, powered by OverDrive, is free for patrons with a valid Syracuse Public Library card. OverDrive, the service through which ebook lending will be available, is a leading full-service digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video.
Syracuse-Wawasee Digital Archives
A free online, digital archive of local history of the Syracuse and Lake Wawasee area is coming soon!
A joint project of the Syracuse Public Library and the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum and funded by a generous grant, this ambitious multi-year project will create the only digital archive of its kind in Kosciusko County, and one of the very few of its kind created and maintained by Indiana libraries and museums, which will warrant its inclusion in the Indiana Memory Project, a digital initiative through the Indiana State Library.
Members of the public who are in possession of local historical material are welcomed and encouraged to contact the Syracuse Library to have a scan or a picture of their materials included in the database. All items will be handled with extreme care and the scanning process can be done in a collector’s private home so cherished family heirlooms never need leave an owner’s hands. Ownership information will also be credited in the database.
The library and museum are also looking for property owners who are knowledge about Syracuse and/or Lake Wawasee and Lake Syracuse history to be a resource for identifying places, people and things in photographs, slides and more. Even if you don’t consider yourself a historian, if you’ve lived on the lake for a long time and would be willing to help us, we would love to hear from you.
Please call Erin at the Syracuse Library at 574-457-3022. This project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Indiana State Library.
Closed Labor Day
The Syracuse Public Library will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3, in observation of Labor Day.
Eloise Kuhn, director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum, holding the Wawasee Film Collection DVD, which is now on sale at the museum.