Preserving the history preservationists

Congratulations are in order to the hard- working, dedicated folks of the Carl & Mary Koehler History Center in Cedar Rapids.

The road to this 40-year mark hasn't always been easy. It's taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to keep the center going all these years and through some particularly difficult times. And with near-term economic projections being what they are, the road ahead could be bumpy yet for a while.

It will take even more hard work and creativity to sustain this vital community resource in the decades to come.

The history center, operated by the non-profit Linn County Historical Society, is more than a museum - it's a means by which we preserve and share our common historical heritage.

Through exhibits, workshops, programs and educational materials made available to teachers throughout the county, the history center helps us understand our community's present by better grounding ourselves in its past.

The center is celebrating its 40th birthday with a special exhibit outlining its own history. “Bits & Pieces” features a variety of artifacts and tells the sometimes tumultuous history of the center, which began as the Linn County Historical Museum Association in 1969.

The center hired its first director in 1976, started searching for a permanent home less than a decade later, and after several false starts, moved to its present site, 615 First Ave. SE. in 1999.

But a few short years later, money troubles brought the center near foreclosure. More money troubles temporarily closed the center's doors and forced layoffs of all 12 staff members in 2006.

Since then, with the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers, the center slowly has been rebuilding and expanding its educational offerings.

Finances have stabilized with the help of a $750,000 endowment.

Tough times have taught the Linn County Historical Society to run a cost-effective program, and the center's modest $350,000 annual budget includes for two full-time and four part-time paid staff members.

The rest of the center's work is carried out by dozens of volunteers - about 75 at last count - who contribute thousands of hours of their time every year.

That's the kind of smart operations plan that can enable the history center and other small museums and cultural centers in our area to weather these tight economic times.

And if donations, grant money, volunteers and other sources of support become more difficult to secure, even more belt-tightening might be needed.

We also hope these valuable institutions work together to find common solutions to those challenges - pooling resources, sharing staff or doing whatever it takes - so that they'll be there for us in future years, whether they be fat or lean.