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On Sept. 16, 2025, Alden Library hosted a reception to celebrate the opening of “Venturing Into Voting,” an exhibit that recognizes the fight for voters’ rights in Athens County. Students can view materials collected by the League of Women Voters of Athens County (LWVAC) in an exhibit curated by Greta Suiter, manuscripts archivist, and Alexis Reynolds, a junior studying English pre-law and world religions.

The exhibit opening also coincided with National Voter Registration Day, a nonpartisan holiday dedicated to celebrating democracy in the United States. Dr. Katherine Jellison, professor of history emerita, delivered remarks, noting her involvement in the Athens County chapter of the League. 

After retiring this year on June 1, Jellison explained how she always intended to come back to Ģ����Ƶ University for guest lectures. After hearing about Reynolds’ work, Jellison wanted to support the “Venture into Voting” exhibit.

“[Members of the league] are friends of mine, but I think the main draw was to communicate with students here and promote the work of a student,” Jellison said.

Reynolds was a manuscripts archivist intern at the time she organized the exhibit under Suiter’s supervision.

“I essentially had to sort through and read most of [the] papers and create different piles. I got it done in eight weeks, so I was really happy with myself,” she said. “It was a lot of work.”

Reynolds started with five boxes of documents. By the end of her internship, she reviewed and arranged more than 30 boxes of content, and she talked with members of the local League of Women Voters of Athens County.

“I actually got the chance to reach out to league members … and I got to go to some of their events: their 75^th anniversary party [and] some of their meetings,” Reynolds said.

The exhibit features pamphlets and publications that detail the League’s influence in the county since its formation in April 1949. From Equal Rights Amendment pamphlets to civil rights survey booklets, the exhibit shows the many contributions of the League and the materials produced by its local chapter. 

“There’s a lot of power in history,” Jellison said. “Seeing the objects of the past is tangible and gives us an idea of how people lived in the past, how they communicated in the past.”

Jellison defines the study as material culture: a way to classify the norms, behavior and objects of people at a specific time in history.

“And material culture is a great way to teach about history and learn about history,” Jellison said. “I hope [the exhibit] gets a lot of foot traffic this fall.”

Staying organized was also a key part of Reynolds’ work. For “Venturing into Voting,” Reynolds relied on sticky notes to tag items in the archives and place them on the corresponding table or shelf. As a result of Reynolds’ organization, object-filing and research, future users will be able to navigate more of their research with ease.

If you missed the opening event, the exhibit will be open for visitors on the fourth floor of Alden Library. Please head to the Ģ����Ƶ University Archives and Special Collections to read a  documenting Reynolds’ journey to create the exhibit, and you can read more about the exhibit by visiting the Libraries’ Blog. 

Photos by Presley Chen / Ģ����Ƶ University Libraries