On Saturday, October 21, the Library conducted its third "Shades of Monterey" Photo & Story Collection Day. We invited community members to bring their family photo collections to the Library, where trained volunteers looked at the photos, selected ones based on the criteria we provided, and then interviewed photo donors to gather information and stories about the people and activites depicted in the photos. The photos were then scanned by a professional photographer and the originals returned to their owners. The photos and stories are now part of the Library's local history archives.

The idea behind this project is to document day-to-day life in Monterey and preserve the images and stories of the people who have lived here over the years. We anticipate creating an exhibit of some of these photos in the coming year.

Twenty-three volunteers helped interview and select photos from the albums of forty-four local families. There was much excitement in the room as these photo treasures were uncovered and family stories were retold. Friends and strangers came together in this great community project and, in all, we collected almost 400 photos and stories. That's what we call a big success.