In this issue of the Joint Archives Quarterly, we're happy to introduce to you our new Collections Archivist, Mr. Geoffrey Reynolds. A graduate of Wayne State University and their nationally recognized archival science program, he comes to us from Garden City, Michigan, and is a native of Charlevoix. He has worked at various times for Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village, the Charlevoix Historical Society and Little Caesar's Enterprises. Geoffrey comes to the Joint Archives with a proven track record of processing archival collections, providing excellent public reference, and handling the various collection needs that we have at the Archives.
As you have probably noticed, we've gone more months than usual without issuing an edition of the Quarterly. There are a number of reasons for this as the staff of the Joint Archives has faced the challenge of operating with a sole professional archivist after the departure of former Collections Archivist, Jenifer Holman, last August. We've also found that Sesquicentennial activities and the large number of researchers and special projects put significant demands on the professional, secretarial, student and volunteer staff of the Joint Archives of Holland. We apologize for the delay in getting this issue of the Joint Archives Quarterly into your hands. We hope you enjoy Dr. Jeanne Jacobson's lead article on the new Van Raalte Biography.
The past several months, however, have been very exciting ones for the Archives. During the month of October, we exceeded 250 research patrons in our Reading Room, when we normally average closer to 90-100 researchers per month. We helped to publish the new Van Raalte biography, A. C. Van Raalte: Dutch Leader and American Patriot, developed the new Sesquicentennial Calendar in conjunction with Lisa Souters and the Commission, and got our teeth into the major Oral History project "150 Stories for 150 Years." It has been an exciting opportunity to make a contribution to the Sesquicentennial and provide and enduring legacy.
Finally, we would like to introduce our new logo to you in this issue of the Quarterly. With assistance from the Image Group here in Holland, we've developed a logo which represent the various types of material stored at the Joint Archives and brings them together along with our institutional members' names. Up to this time, the Joint Archives has not had a logo, aside from our distinctive typeface - we hope you like it!
I hope to see you soon at the Joint Archives!
Larry Wagenaar