Twenty years of clippings

The Initiative

The project began in 1998 when Barbra Arrindell, then working at the Ommen Library, raised the idea of collecting all Ommen newspaper news items. Arrindell was inspired to do so by a section of the Historical Society Ommen, which named news from 20 years ago. Together with librarian Frits Gerrits Jans, her plan became a reality. Volunteers Jacqueline Veneman and Jan Bakker were the first to set to work, after which Gerry took over from Veneman in 2002. Ank took over from Bakker in 2006. "I had just retired and was asked if I wanted to help," Ank says. "That's how it started and suddenly it was a regular ritual every Wednesday morning."

Cutting, pasting, bundling

What began with collecting loose newspaper clippings grew into a systematic archive. Articles from the Zwolse Courant and later the Stentor were cut out, sorted by subject, carefully copied, pasted, and finally bound. Sometimes this involved several pages a day, especially for major events such as political issues or local commemorations. In the early years the newspapers came from home, later the library provided its own copies. "It was really handiwork," Gerry says. "And sometimes puzzle work, especially when we were missing pages. But it always worked out. And the coffee and conviviality made it extra fun."

From scrapbook to historical reference work

Between 1998 and 2018, forty books were eventually published, usually two per year. "In 2018, we decided to call it quits. We then spent twenty years keeping track of the news and now, of course, it's much easier to look it up online," Gerry says. Still, years of work went into the completion: indexes were completed, old clippings neatly updated and everything was professionally bound. "I had the last books bound in December and on New Year's Eve I turned them in. Then the project was finished for us," Gerry says.

More than just clippings

For Gerry and Ank, the project was more than just an archive job. "Every Wednesday morning it was a regular thing: coffee, a cookie, a chat ánd pasting," says Gerry. "That morning several volunteers were at work in the library and you would hear what was going on in town, get tips on exhibitions or bicycle tours. It was also just really cozy."

The legacy remains

Now that the books are finished, the question remains what happens to them. "The books remain in the library and can be viewed there. They are in the library by the reading table" says Gerry. "Occasionally someone grabs the books if they are looking for something specific." However, the archive is little known to the public. "People often don't know it's there," notes Ank. "Yet it is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Ommen."

Although Wednesday mornings at the library are now a thing of the past, Gerry and Ank remain active. Gerry brings library books to elderly people who are less mobile to come to the library themselves, and Ank helps repair books. But the memories of 20 years of archiving remain. "I never thought: I have to go to the library again," Gerry says with a smile. "It was always nice to do."