For the past eight years, the Library has been engaged in an ongoing project called "Shades of Monterey" which involves collecting images of day-to-day life in Monterey over the past century from the albums of local families, and adding these images to the library’s historic photo collection.

"Shades of Monterey" is not only about collecting photos. It is also about making them accessible from the Library’s California History Room & Archives and by displaying enlarged, framed photos throughout the Library and in special exhibits. For the third time since the project began, theLibrary has an exhibit of selected Shades photos on display in the Alvarado Gallery at the Monterey Conference Center. The current exhibit will be on display through December 31,2007.

During the exhibit opening reception a few weeks ago, photo donors, their families and friends came out in force to view the photos. It was such fun watching how people responded to seeing their special family photos enlarged up to five and ten times their original size and displayed on the gallery walls. Their reactions emphasized what photography does for us – it captures a moment in time and then magnifies the importance of that moment. There were also magical instances of recognition of people and occasions remembered ("Oh look, there’s Uncle Buzzy!") Many identified with the period fashions ("I’d forgotten all about saddle shoes!"), and popular trends in home interiors ("We had drapes just like those!") There were emotional responses, too. More than one family shed sentimental tears. Many people shared stories. Some took shapshots of one another standing next to an exhibited photo.

The "Shades of Monterey" project honors those people who have shaped our town over the years though daily living, it recreates our local stories, and preserves our community memory. Go check out the exhibit, and please let us know what you think of it.