Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Greetings from Oshkosh: We Stick Around

In reference to the U.S. Census Bureau Report, Lifetime Mobility in the United States: 2010, the Wisconsin Budget Report refers to a characteristic sometimes referred to as the “stickiness” of the state population.


Rust Belt, Deep South Have Most Homegrown Residents. New census data shows areas of the country with highest concentrations of native residents. (Governing, 11/18/2011)

Excerpt: An analysis of 2010 American Community Survey data showed the following areas have the highest homegrown populations for ages 25 and up:

Cheektowaga, N.Y. (85.8%)
Jackson, Miss. (79.0%)
Macon, Ga. (76.9%)
Birmingham, Ala. (76.9%)
Erie, Pa. (75.8%)
Lafayette, La. (75.8%)
Lake Charles, La (75.0%)
Canton, Ohio (74.9%)
Livonia, Mich. (74.4%)
Oshkosh, Wis. (74.0%)



LINK to 4-page brief

Top 10 "Sticky" States

Top 10 "Non-Stick" States


Speaking of Oshkiosh....

I'm very impressed with their digital collections.  Not that long ago, all of these materials would have been available only onsite, if at all.   In fact, many of them wouldn't have been a part of the library's collection.  The "Picture Oshkosh" project, for example, encourages people to submit photos and videos.  What a great way to enhance the value of the library as a community resource.


During the 8 years (1978-1986) I lived in Oshkosh, and worked at the Oshkosh Public Library, I immersed myself in the city's history, its physical growth and architecture in particular.  A complete collection of city directories was particularly useful in my mapping of corner grocery stores and gas stations.

As you might guess, and as the evidence shows, I'm a huge fan of local history collection development in public libraries.




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