LAKELAND – The handwritten minutes, resolutions and ordinances from 1885 to 1890 that were the basis of Lakeland’s charter were becoming faded 19th-century memories.
However, through the efforts of the Lakeland Public Library, the City of Lakeland and a professional preservation company, the roots of a municipality have been preserved indefinitely.
In October, the bound pages of the 1885 to 1890 City Commission minutes were returned to the library in Mylar sleeves in a metal-bound book after being treated with chemicals to remove acidity. Some repair work was also done using rice paper for torn areas.
During a workday in the Lakeland History and Culture Center at the Lakeland Public Library main branch on Lake Morton, LuAnn Mims, special collections librarian supervisor, met with Lakeland City Clerk Kelly Koos and Deputy City Clerk Heather Bradman to discuss the results of the two-year effort to save in perpetuity five years’ of minutes from the city’s 19th century founding history. Also joining was librarian Rebecca Whalon.