Dallas

Dedicated Dallas Librarian Helps Preserve July 7th Memorial Collection

The Dallas Public Library is where you go to find things.

“If you have any questions just come back and let me know,” said a woman working at the library’s front desk.

Librarians share their skill-set of collecting, preserving and, most importantly, “being able to find it in the future,” said Jo Giudice, the library director. “Because if you put it away and you can’t find it again—it’s important to know where it is.”

Giudice took us into the library’s basement, which is seven floors below the items that were left behind after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, to show us a new collection of Dallas history. But it isn’t inside the books that once filled the shelves.

The July 7th Memorial Collection preserves the thousands of items left to the Dallas Police Department in the wake of the deadly July 7, 2016, ambush shootings that killed five officers.

“At first, when you start working with the collection you’re overcome by sadness,” Giudice said.

There are items that mark the loss of life, but also, the kindness of strangers that were touched by that loss.

“And I think that’s what people meant when they were sending the items in. You get that feeling of warmth and love and kindness,” Giudice said.

There’s the quilt, stitched by hand and left to sign, “as people came by, the signatures took life and they even started filling in the back,” Giudice said.

There’s the Boy Scout who used his allowance to buy and send five American flags. He lives in California. They are five of the 1,000 or so donated.

There are hundreds of police patches sent from departments all over the world.

The library’s team also counted more than 10,000 letters with no detail left unchecked.

“We went through every single bouquet and removed the floral cards, so we have every single floral card that was written out and sent,” Giudice said.

Giudice credits this thoroughness to her team at the library, her partners at the Dallas Police Department, and the countless volunteers who helped save these items for this collection.

“It’s just a real demonstration of love. And I think we need those reminders and I hope that preserving this collection — that’s what people will get out of this, that’s why we’re doing it. You know the world is full of a lot of good, still,” she said.

A librarian is using her unique skills to help preserve the love that followed the heartbreak.

“And this is—this is what we do,” Giudice said.

Items from the July 7th Memorial Collection can be seen at 28 libraries in Dallas during the month of July. Then those items will be boxed and preserved until the collection can be made into a digital format.

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