From the Oak Ridge Public Library Ruth Carey photo collection (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The Oak Ridge Public Library needs your help. The library is privileged to house the photography collection of Ruth Carey, an original Oak Ridge resident and longtime photographer for The Oak Ridger from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. Her photo collection is vast and varied, including pictures of key political and cultural figures, community events, and weddings. Figures such as Alex Haley and Guilford Glazer, for instance, appear in several photos. Unfortunately, many of the photographs do not include notes about who is in the photo or when or where it was taken.
With the help of volunteers, Oak Ridge Public Library staff members Teresa Fortney and Jordan Reed have begun digitizing the collection. Some of the photographs that have been digitized are available for public viewing online at www.orpl.org. However, Carey’s collection was so comprehensive, only a portion of the total number of photographs have been digitized. As the library continues its digitization efforts, it is important that the people and places are identified so as not to lose this important part of our history.
If you would like to help preserve a part of Oak Ridge’s history, please join us for one or all of three photo viewing days:
- Saturday, February 25, from 2-5 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 8, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Saturday, April 1, from 2-5 p.m.
On these dates, the library will make the Ruth Carey Collection available for public viewing. If you would like to help identify the people, places, and events in these photographs, please join us.
The Oak Ridge Public Library is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. All events will take place in the library auditorium. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. No call or RSVP is necessary.
