BOWLING GREEN, O. -- History is both big events and small details with major impact. The annual Conference on Local History sponsored by the Bowling Green Center for Archival Collections will look at both on April 1.

Authors Andro Linklater, Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse and Dennis Keesee are this year's featured presenters.

Linklater, a British journalist, is the author of "Measuring America," which examines how mapping the boundaries has strongly influenced the American landscape and the way people use it.

Messer-Kruse, chair of the University of Toledo history department, will speak about his book on Toledo's great bank crash of 1931 forthcoming. The title of his presentation is "Uncovering the Banksters: New Directions for the Study of the Causes of the Great Depression in Local Communities."

Keesee will discuss his collection of Civil War photographs and memorabilia, many of which illustrate his book, "Too Young to Die: Boy Soldiers of the Union Army." "

The Civil War is always a very popular topic with the people who attend the conference, so we are pleased to offer a slightly different perspective by looking at the young boys who served in the war," said Ann Bowers, interim director of the Center for Archival Collections.

In addition to the presentations, this year's winners of the Local History Publication Award will be announced at the event. Cash prizes of $300 each will be given to an academic scholar and an independent researcher.

The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. April 1 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg. The conference fee is $30, including lunch, and the registration deadline is March 26.

For more details or a registration form, contact Sue Frost at 419-372-2411.

(Posted March 17, 2004)