Library and partners recognized for local history project

Worthington Libraries along with Experience Worthington and the Worthington Historical Society were recently recognized with a RUBY Award from the Ohio Travel Association for Picture Worthington: History Walk. 

The series was an outdoor installation of 15 enlarged historic photos displayed on the exterior of buildings throughout the Worthington business district. Old Worthington Library was one of the stops on the tour, with a poster on the north side of the building showing the High Road Gallery, and a poster on the south side of the building showing the 1978 library groundbreaking. 

Of the project, local history librarian Meredith Southard said:

I hope people learn something new about Worthington's history, and I think it's really neat to have that look into the past and see what a particular location looked like decades or a century ago.

Picture Worthington: History Walk took first place in the Spirit of Community category, presented during the 2022 Ohio Conference on Travel held October 12-14. In addition to its first place award, the tour received the maximum number of points available from judges; it was one of only five to receive the "Flawless" designation out of 183 entries. The project further received a "Citation of Excellence" in the Print Media category for its Old Worthington map flier.

Elizabeth Dekker, tourism director for Experience Worthington, attended the Ohio Travel Association conference and said:

I am honored to accept this award for a project that brought to life the deep historical roots of the Worthington community. It came about through a strong partnership between three organizations that do so much for our city. It goes to show the power of these collaborative projects, and how they can shed a light on our city's rich history.

Although the series was only on display for a limited engagement through the spring and summer of 2022, the photos and history are available online via PocketSights.