On the Record with Rob Glover

Like Indiana Jones, part of Rob Glover’s job is to say, “It belongs in a museum.”

Glover is the Joiner History Room director and the DeKalb County History Center archivist and collections specialist. Glover helps decide which items are collected and archived in the museum, and he also goes through the archived collections to help others with their research.

For more information about the Joiner History Room, call 815-895-5762 or email info@dekalbcountyhistory.org.

Glover spoke to MidWeek reporter Katrina Milton about DeKalb County’s history and the importance of recording history for future generations.

Milton: What do you do in your role as archivist?

Glover: The director of the archives is the person who connects the historical materials to people who are doing research. A major part of what I do at the DeKalb County History Center is going through the archives, historical records and materials from the Joiner History Room, the DeKalb County History Center, the old Sycamore History Museum.

Milton: What types of items are archived?

Glover: Normally an archive doesn’t have objects, but because this is a museum, we have both. There’s everything from documents and ledgers to printing plates, clothing, signage and art. There’s a big selection of everything here. Some of the more unique items we have are photographs and specific collections of photographs taken by one photographer in the same spot over time. We also have a big collection of Civil War letters between a Sycamore general and his wife-to-be. They wrote letters back and forth for many years, sometimes writing two or three letters a week.

Milton: What items are worth collecting for a museum?

Glover: Anything in DeKalb County that talks about our past is worth keeping. Some things are more important than others, but it’s almost not our job to decide that part so much. We have to think about what will be important in 100 years. People will often bring their family’s collections to us. Those items go through a collection committee, and the committee will determine whether items are folded into the collection.

Milton: Is history being made today?

Glover: What’s going on now during the pandemic is definitely historically important. We have to look at and decide what to capture and not to capture. Since the beginning of the COVID period, Michelle Donahoe, the director of the DeKalb County History Center, has had us collecting artifacts of where we’re at right now: posters, masks, photographs, newspaper articles. We have an area shield made by Upstaging and hand sanitizer made by Whiskey Acres. We have been collecting items that will show the beginning, middle and end of this pandemic period.

Milton: How do you decide what to keep to preserve for history?

Glover: We don’t know what’s going to be historically important 100 years from now, but we can make some educated guesses: pictures and people. It’s always the human element. The people in DeKalb County are related to local history genealogically and also physically. It’s now our turn to take over the history we’ve been given and continue, preserve and share it with others.

Milton: When did history begin in DeKalb County?

Glover: DeKalb County was settled in 1835 or 1836. However, white settlers were not the start of local history. There were native tribes, include Chief Shabbona and the Potawatomi tribe, which predate that time period. There might not be a lot of documentation, but their history here was long. There are also history sources that talk about glaciers moving through DeKalb County.

Milton: Why do people use the Joiner History Room for research?

Glover: Most people use the Joiner History Room because they’re looking for genealogy or property information. There’s a small segment of people that come in interested in historical objects. People that have been interested in our archives in the last few months have been from all over the world, including Sweden and Ireland. Sometimes their families haven’t been here since the 1850s or 1860s, and they’re researching their relatives. We have an enormous amount of information and records saved to help with those kinds of searches.

Milton: How can we preserve items for the future?

Glover: The most important thing is that it still remains and that you’re looking at it. That’s the big key in terms of preservation: trying to preserve what’s going to be important in the future. We are developing programs where we can save important emails and letters. It’s the nature of things to be lost to history, but that’s also the challenge: to try to save the item for historical purposes so that it’s not lost. That’s why we’re trying to get the resources and preserve what exists now and capture these things before they’re gone.

Milton: Does it cost anything to do research in the archives?

Glover: The research is free, whether online, in person or submit a research request and researchers help do the search for you. Scanning makes sharing information free and easy. … We’re always looking for volunteers to help with research. Volunteers are consolidating collections and working with history. Even if you’re not interested in archival work, there’s always research and transcriptions to do. They are important projects that are key to what the museum is doing. There’s always more things to do at a museum, there’s never an end to that.

Milton: How can people get started in learning more about local history?

Glover: The DeKalb County History Center’s exhibit, “The History of DeKalb County in 100 Objects,” is a great place to start. There’s something there of interest to everyone. Some of the items are very surprising to learn the history behind. Even if you’ve lived here a long time, there’s still something you can learn. The objects can start that spark of interest: how something developed, where it’s from. If you’re already interested in history, this is the place to find the answers. Now’s the time to do some research about your family or property and learn a little bit more about local history.