Eagle Point, OR (October 7, 2026) – Jackson County Library branches will host a series of free workshops this fall funded in part from a 2026 Oregon Heritage grant awarded to the Eagle Point Friends of the Library. The workshop titled “History at Your Fingertips: a Hands-on (or not) Exploration of Oregon’s Biggest Databases” is free and open to all. In the two-hour workshop, participants will gain hands-on practice using some of Oregon’s biggest and most important databases. While it will be helpful to bring a laptop, iPad, or phone to do your own research during the workshops, those who prefer to watch and listen are welcome.
Jackson County Library Services subscribes to many commercial databases on behalf of the community. Databases offered through JCLS provide free access to archived newspapers, study materials and tutors, magazines, newspapers, e-books, and other primary sources that are typically blocked behind paywalls on the internet. Other databases developed by Oregon’s academic and government agencies are freely available to all. One important and useful online database covered in the workshop is the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program (ODNP) managed by the University of Oregon Libraries. ODNP has millions of Oregon’s newspaper pages, digitized from print and microfilm or supplied in digital form by publishers – including backfiles of the Grants Pass Daily Courier, Illinois Valley News, Butte Falls Bulletin, Talent News, as well as many Jacksonville, Central Point, Ashland and Medford newspapers.
“While everyone knows about Google, has probably seen Ancestry.com advertisements, and library users are likely to be familiar with Kanopy and Libby,” noted Maureen Flanagan Battistella, who is leading the workshop, “some of Oregon’s biggest and most important online repositories are less well known. And they’re free!”
The 2026 Oregon Heritage grant, along with private donations, supports the workshops as well as the digitization of the Upper Rogue Independent for the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program. “It is fitting that the Eagle Point Library Friends serve as the applicant and advocate for the digitization of the Upper Rogue Independent and the workshop series,” stated Viki Brown, President of the Eagle Point Library Friends. “We have long supported community needs and interests at the library and see this project as another way to do so.”
The fall History at Your Fingertips at Jackson County libraries follows a successful series held at and in partnership with Douglas, Curry, Coos and Lane County libraries, members of the Southern Oregon Library Federation. Workshops are also planned for Klamath, Josephine, and Lake County. Pre-registration for the workshops is recommended: https://tinyurl.com/historyworkshop-registration. Light refreshments will be available.
For more information on the fall History at Your Fingertips workshops visit jcls.org or reach out to instructor Maureen Flanagan Battistella at battistem@sou.edu or 541-552-0743.