We are thrilled to be working with the Eagle River Historical Society and the Nicolet Federated Library System as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative. This project focuses on digitizing and sharing materials that document historic resorts and supper clubs in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area including post cards, brochures, menus and matchbooks.
This project is truly a collaborative effort. Collections intended for digitization are housed at the Eagle River Historical Society and our partners at the Nicolet Federated Library System in Green Bay, Wisconsin provide workspace and digitization equipment, and host their student intern, Jacqueline Steel.
Joining Team Eagle River is Jacqueline Steel. An Oberlin College alum, Jacqueline hails from the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Madison to complete their master’s in library and information studies. Jacqueline maintains an interest in accessibility of materials via digitization and efficient metadata. They enjoy working with the public and meeting interesting people, which is why they work at the Bristol Renaissance Faire over the summers! After graduation, Jacqueline hopes to continue working and living in the Midwest, near family and friends. They’ve enjoyed learning about Eagle River through this project and hope that viewers find the matchbook collection as interesting as they did!
Jacqueline has two host site supervisors who provide support for this project. They are Vito Bortolotti and Tracy Vreeke.
Originally from Eagle River, Vito Bortolotti is the Eagle River Historical Society director. A University of Minnesota-Duluth graduate in public history (with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Environment, Sustainability, and Geography), Vito has worked in six different museums and archives. His areas of expertise includes artifact handling, historic research, architecture, exhibit design, and community engagement. He also earned certificates in museum studies and business administration. Vito’s in-depth knowledge of Eagle River local history and the myriad collections maintained by his organization has been invaluable to this project!
Founded in 1966 and incorporated in 1968 with a mission “to collect, preserve and share Eagle River heritage and culture and to be a recognized economic asset to the community,” the Eagle River Historical Society includes two locations: the Eagle River Depot Museum and the Historical Museum Campus.
Tracy Vreeke is the Nicolet Federated Library System (NFLS) director, a state-funded organization assisting 15-member public libraries, through 42 library outlets. Tracy attained a bachelor’s degree from Carroll University in politics and Russian studies, and joined the library world later, graduating from UW Milwaukee SOIS in 2019. Over the years, Tracy spent time waitressing, backpacking around the globe, stage-managing, doing blacksmithing, raising a family, owning a restaurant, cataloging at the Door County Library, and of course reading (a lot!).
Tracy, along with the NFLS staff, is thrilled to be a part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative. We’re equally thrilled (and grateful) for their collaborative support.
Interested in participating in the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative? Visit our program website for more information.
