The Library of Michigan is looking for more yearbooks from high schools, higher educational institutions and vocational schools in the state.
These donations will be added to a statewide collection in Lansing with the goal being to collect two copies from each school for each academic year.
Adam Oster is the Library's community engagement librarian. He calls this project unique.
“There really isn't any place else in Michigan that will have this kind of collection and that everybody, in some way, is going to have a connection to it.”
Oster says the yearbooks represent an important time in young people's lives. As an example, he brings up yearbooks that came from Zeeland High School.
“It was called The Stepping Stone, and that's illustrating that you're at this point in your life and moving on to other things in adulthood that school has prepared you to be.”
Oster says the project has already collected 7,000 yearbooks, but he thinks the collection could reach up to between 80-100,000.
He says potential donors should contact the library ahead of time.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.