To learn more about the Road Scholars program, click here.
To learn about my programs and contact info, view my IL Humanities profile.
I am also available for programs outside of the Road Scholars program. If interested, please contact me at jamie.poorman@gmail.com to discuss topics and/or fees.
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MARSHALL, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) — Jamie Poorman, the Head Librarian of the Marshall, Illinois Public Library has recently been added to the Illinois Road Scholar Speakers program.
Sponsored by Illinois Humanities, The Road Scholar Speakers program provides communities throughout the state with the opportunity to learn about the Humanities through various speakers, covering subjects like literature, film, politics, theater, history, philosophy, archaeology, music and more. This year’s speaker roster will cover a broad range of topics like historical anti-slavery movements in Illinois, as well as music of the civil rights movement, the universal suffrage movement, and Latinx Hip Hop.
“The Road Scholar Speaker Bureau is really a unique, special program. The goal is really to get those stories and speakers out to people, especially in rural communities,” Poorman said.
Born and raised in Marshall, Poorman worked her way up to head librarian from a part-time clerk. Starting her career with the library in 2008, Poorman has dedicated 15 years to the library and the people of the community.
Running several programs, managing the circulation desk, and choosing collections for the library are just a few of the duties Poorman has as head librarian, but there’s one in particular that stands out.
“My favorite is the local history and genealogy, and our local library and community have been very supportive. Our community embraces local history and these stories and we’ve just seen the community ask for more. And our board and director have really just allowed to me to explore and expand on that and it’s just been really wonderful,” Poorman said.
Poorman will be presenting two historic stories during the speaker program, The Road was Home and Of Wind & Sky: Illinois Author Marguerite Henry and the wild ponies of Chincoteague Island.
The Road was Home is a story of a Romani family that lived in Marshall and gained a lot of mixed attention for their culture and traditions that Poorman researched extensively.
“I just found that there’s a lot of misinformation floating around about their lifestyle so I just wanted the library to tell the true story,” Poorman explained.
Of Wind & Sky: Illinois Author Marguerite Henry and the wild ponies of Chincoteague Island holds a personal note for Poorman as the story and its subjects have been a part of her life in many ways.
“Wind and Sky is a really cool story because Marguerite Henry is an author I read when I was a little girl, and I checked those books out from our library years before I became a librarian. It tells the story of her and the wild Chincoteague ponies that lived on the island,” Poorman said.
Courtesy of Jamie Poorman
Poorman currently owns a Chincoteaguepony named Cocoa and is working towards uncovering and understanding more of the community’s history by starting a 16 week course at Boston University to become a certified genealogist.
As Poorman continues to make strides, new changes are coming to the Marshall Public Library.
“We’ve developed a collection of nearly 300 oral interviews and over thousands of photos of Marshall history. So those are online now through Illinois digital archives. Those resources have just recently been added to the Digital Public Library of America. And we are working to acquire the collection of the Clark County Genealogical Library in the near future,” Poorman explained.
For those interested in learning more, visit the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau website, or the Marshall Public Library website or call at 217-826-2535 to register for the free event and for all its great resources.
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