Reconstruction

Genealogists and historians try to reconstruct past things. Their building blocks are snippets of print, photos, artifacts, and oral tradition.

Kilgore Memorial Library has been assembling pieces to reconstruct the story of the J. A. Parks Music Company for years. The task was inconceivable before the internet.

Now, tools like WorldCat, and google's multiple facets make it possible to find scattered snippets from unsuspected places. Happenstance and serendipity come into play.

A new entry in the "librarian's desks" FLICKR group may lead to a helpful colleague half way around the globe who can send on a few more pieces.




Some may say, "who cares?"

Perhaps the story of a successful local entrepreneur has clues for some future business person with an unusual product. A century ago, York was home base for a composer / arranger / publisher whose music spread around the globe. What happened once can happen again. Cyclonaire products are found around the world. What's York's next world-wide impact product?