Judy Orr James
Judy James retired in 2016 from the Akron-Summit County Public Library where she was employed for more than 35 years. In 2001, she was hired as manager of the Special Collections Division to create a new department at Main Library devoted to local history and genealogy. She received her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University, and is also a graduate of the National Archives Modern Archives Institute.…Read More
Judy James retired in 2016 from the Akron-Summit County Public Library where she was employed for more than 35 years. In 2001, she was hired as manager of the Special Collections Division to create a new department at Main Library devoted to local history and genealogy. She received her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University, and is also a graduate of the National Archives Modern Archives Institute. The Special Collections Division maintains one of the most comprehensive genealogy collections in the state of Ohio, along with a growing collection of local history materials, including the archival collections of the Summit County Historical Society. Special Collections also coordinates the Summit Memory Project (http://www.SummitMemory.org), a collaborative, digital “scrapbook” of Summit County history. During her time at the library, Judy collaborated with numerous community and professional organizations including the University of Akron, Summit County Historical Society, Summit County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Cascade Locks Park Association, and the City of Akron, among others. In 2010 she received the Akron Women’s History Project Woman of the Year Award for Innovation. Judy was born and raised in Akron and is married to Jeff James, a local attorney. They have two grown children.