The new community room in the Oswego Public Library will be host to the first-ever Local History Lecture Series on Thursday, featuring local author Tim Nekritz.

Nekritz will give his discussion, “Oswego’s Public Library: An Underdog Story,” based on his book, “The Oswego Public Library: A History,” beginning at 7 p.m.

Local historian, history teacher and vice president of Friends of the Library, John B. Gosek, has spearheaded the new lecture series. Gosek said he created the once-a-month, 50-minute lecture series to provide events rich in local culture and heritage.

“I wanted to add something that would be for the whole community,” he said, noting that is the reason the lectures are held in the evening. “I think there’s a big interest in the county in local history … I think this was something that was lacking and I hope this will fill the historical void.”

Nekritz’s book began as a research paper when he was taking his first graduate history class from Judy Wellman at SUNY Oswego during spring 2002. At the time, Nekritz was attending college part time, working toward his master’s in history and working full time as the assistant director of public affairs at SUNY Oswego, the position he maintains today. “I started writing about it and I couldn’t stop writing about it,” he said about how his research paper on the library  blossomed into a book.

According to Nekritz, his book was written about the time the library board of trustees was deciding whether to remain in the 150-year-old building or to move to a different location.
Growing up, Nekritz spent a lot of time at his hometown public library in Weedsport. The library used to reside in a former Episcopal church, which Nekritz loved so much until “it moved out of that into a very nondescript cement building.” Nekritz is also the son and grandson of librarians; libraries hold a special place in his heart.

Being a former journalist, Nekritz said he tried to report on the library’s history and give a variety of angles about the library. He spent most of his time on the weekends conducting research. “For a couple of months I really just burned the candle at both ends,” he said. “It didn’t matter to me how much time I put in, I was just fascinated.”

The old library records were destroyed in a fire, Nekritz said. “The first history was something that was just quickly scrawled into a ledger book,” he said, noting that the minutes of the library board meetings were recorded in ledger books for decades.

As part of his research, Nekritz looked at every meeting in 1855, 1856 and 1857 to figure out exactly when the library opened. “There was still a mystery as to when the library was opened,” he said, noting that his research suggested it was opened earlier than it was previously thought.

Nekritz’s book was published in fall 2003 by Scriba Publishing after Charlie Young, a member of the library board of trustees and now Nekritz’s publicity agent, suggested that his book be published as a fundraiser for the restoration of the historic building. In fact, Young wrote the last chapter of the book, recording the library’s history from 2000-2005. Nekritz donated the manuscript and the first week his book was published, it was the top-selling local history book at the river’s end bookstore. In all, it raised roughly $1,000 for the capital campaign.

On Nov. 13, Gosek will give a lecture on the politics of Garrett Smith, local abolitionist and businessman who donated funds to create the Oswego Public Library. Gosek noted that Smith’s outlook on life was extremely unorthodox for the mid-1800s. According to Gosek, Smith viewed the Constitution as an anti-slavery document.

The use of the community room and the lecture series among other educational activities make the library more than a library, Gosek said. “The whole idea behind this is keeping with the founding vision of Garrett Smith,” he said. Nekritz agreed. “This is kind of Garrett Smith’s dream come true 150 years later,” he said about the lecture series and community room.

Also scheduled to give a presentation is local veteran Fred Lockwood, Dec. 4. He will speak about his service during World War II during the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Gosek noted that site manager for Fort Ontario Paul Lear will also present to the community at a later date. Debbie Engelke, the owner of Time & Again Books & Tea, also donated a gift certificate to her bookstore located at 18 E. Utica St., Oswego. 

Anyone interested in presenting a lecture or who wants more information about the series can contact Gosek at 342-1380 or jgosek@pacs.cnyric.org.