On March 5, 2020 a unique exhibit celebrating Grinnell’s past opened in the library. Grinnell Works was created by the Grinnell community, Drake Community Library, and Grinnell College in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program. It combined images and stories from the library archives with those collected specifically for this project, using a template provided by the Smithsonian to provide an overview of work in our community.

The exhibit celebrated Grinnell’s past, amplified the voices of Grinnellians, and brought to light the unseen work and workers from throughout Grinnell’s history.  Sadly, a week after a celebratory opening, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to share the material, we created a video tour of the physical exhibit and a virtual version that includes the exhibition content so it can be explored in depth. The ‘video tour’ is a visual highlight of the full Grinnell Works Exhibit. The ‘virtual version’ is the full exhibit in book format that is fully accessible and ADA compliant.

The exhibit materials have been saved so they can be displayed in the future.