Park Forest Historical Society

The Park Forest Historical Society will capture information in a collections management database to improve collection documentation, management, and access. The society’s local collection and archive is an important source of artifacts and information about Park Forest, America’s original GI town, the first fully planned post-World War II suburb and home to one of the first shopping centers in the United States. The project will improve interpretation and exhibits and make information more accessible to city planners, architects, historians, students, scholars, area residents, and museum visitors. The museum will purchase database software, a desktop computer, and a printer/scanner/copier. Staff will recruit and train volunteers and interns to complete and update accession records. The museum will share progress and discoveries at public meetings and through its newsletters, news articles, announcements to professional peers, and its website.