How Yuma’s history is being preserved in the basement of the Heritage Library
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Heritage Library Archives is home to hundreds of historical documents that give insight into the history of Yuma.
Located in the basement of the of the Yuma County Heritage Library, the historical archive accommodates a collection of oral histories, manuscripts and original photographs that can not be found online.
"Many people today think that everything is digitized and it’s all online. But worldwide, there's only a fraction; a very small fraction of historical documents is actually accessible on the internet," said Laurie Boone, an archivist and librarian for the Yuma County Library District.
Over the decades, the Arizona Historical Society and the Yuma County Historical Society have collected these documents as donations from local pioneer families that first settled in Yuma over 100 years ago.
"It's not just the community who benefits from this. Scholars, writers, not just historians. Even law enforcement. There’s information here that helps in cold cases that's not available anywhere else," Boone added.
The archives became accessible to the public at the Heritage Library in 2013 after the documents were transferred from the Arizona Historical Society museum in Tempe, Arizona.
The archives are available to view by appointment only.
