Anna Selfridge was honored by Lima City Council earlier this week for her 43-year career as a librarian and archivist of the Allen County Museum and its Elizabeth M. MacDonell Memorial Library.
J Swygart | The Lima News
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — It was March of 1981 when 32-year-old Anna Selfridge, at the time a reference librarian in the Darke County city of Greenville, brought a love of history back to her hometown.
Selfridge that year was hired to work at the Allen County Museum, kicking off what would be an fulfilling 43 1/2-year career as a historical librarian and a leading archivist of Allen County history.
The job was right in Selfridge’s wheelhouse. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from Wooster College and her Master of Arts in Librarianship from the University of Denver, she had narrowed her preferred career choices down to three.
“I was always interested in history, and I knew I wanted to be an archaeologist, an artist or a librarian,” she recalled earlier this week during a sit-down interview at her Shawnee Township home.
During her time at the county museum, Selfridge honed her skills to the point where she became the go-to person in Lima for questions about genealogy, in addition to being a trusted resource for journalists and residents alike in search of some historical perspective on topics of all sorts.
Judging from accolades she received earlier in the week from Lima City Council, those efforts did not go unnoticed.
City leaders on Oct. 21 recognized Selfridge’s contributions to the community for her tenure as librarian and archivist of the Allen County Museum and its Elizabeth M. MacDonell Memorial Library with a resolution honoring her for outstanding public service.
The proclamation called Selfridge “a strong advocate of free and equal access to the library’s resources as a cornerstone of civic pride, development and stability” and commended her for personally assisting “over 100,000 patrons during her career, including attorneys, civic leaders, government officials, members of the media and everyday citizens.” Selfridge was also recognized for her efforts as the former editor of the Allen County Reporter, a publication of the local historical society.
Before the internet
The Shawnee High School graduate recalled how her job was performed in the early portion of her career, before the internet opened up the so-called “information highway.”
“It was a different time,” Selfridge said. “There were no computers then; there was no looking up things online. I just had an electric typewriter to catalog information gleaned from newspapers, phone books and city directories.
“Libraries and historical societies have files on research that other places don’t have,” she added. “It’s kind of irritating to me that these days people think if (information) is not online that it’s not important.”
Selfridge loved assisting reporters and for years was the driving force behind the “Reminisce” weekly feature in The Lima News. She said there was no particular magic in her ability to provide answers to journalists’ questions.
“Librarians don’t memorize the facts, but we do know where to find the information,” she said proudly.
A community of friends
Selfridge assisted many people with genealogy searches over the years, and provided helpful historical information to countless others. She was flattered and deeply touched by the number of people who reached out via Facebook and other online platforms with congratulations following her recognition by the Lima City Council.
“Apparently I made an impact on a few people,” she said humbly.
A broken back a few years ago has slowed Selfridge to the point that it’s “difficult to walk, so I’m pretty much stuck in my house and garage.” These days she enjoys watching birds come and go from the feeder just outside her window. Skeins of wool and other fabrics reflect a love of knitting.
“I like to read and keep up with social media, but nothing too exciting,” Selfridge said when asked how she now spends her days.
“Some former patrons keep in touch, and occassionally I’ll get a call from someone asking if I will help them with a genealogy project. I’ll answer any questions that come my way,” Selfridge said.
“I never had any intention of retiring, but things just didn’t work out that way.”
FIRST PERSON
Anna Selfridge was a one-of-a kind resource for journalists, including this one.
When a 2020 fire, later proven to be arson, destroyed a building on Elizabeth Street in downtown Lima which at one time housed Roxy Food & Spirits, a single call to Selfridge was all it took to learn the history of the building that was constructed in 1904.
Selfridge was able to discover that in 1939 the structure housed the Roxy Grill, a restaurant owned by Evangelos Pseekos, who came from Detroit to Lima, where he had operated a Greek restaurant since 1920. It later was the home to a “fine dining spot” in the Blattenberg Block of downtown Lima, the historian said. The building also housed, at various time, the Lima Tailoring Co. and Stormy’s House of Blues, she said.
Where else is a journalist going to find that kind of a backstory with a single phone call? And who is going to fill that void for the next generation of reporters?
