In my very biased opinion, Perry Hall Patch is a wonderful community resource. I especially enjoy reading the articles we run about the history of Perry Hall. I find it interesting to see photographs of what Perry Hall used to look like, read about how businesses have changed, and learn about the heritage of our community.

For those interested in learning more about the history of Baltimore County in general, a great resource is the Historical Society of Baltimore County in Cockeysville. It houses more than 8,200 museum artifacts, 7,000 photographs from the 19th century to the present, 3,300 library volumes, 7,700 genealogy surname vertical files and 1,000 subject vertical files.

The society is looking for volunteers to help library patrons with research—particularly on Saturdays. There is also a need for clerical help in the library and museum and for volunteers who would like to help with a range of new programs.

"History, the humanities and the arts are notoriously underfunded and constantly rely on the goodwill and charity of caring individuals for their survival," said Adam Youssi, an HSBC Administrator. "As such, organizations like ours rely heavily on both the labor and interest of volunteers to perform many day-to-day tasks in our library, archive and cultural artifact collections."

Volunteers are placed in areas that best match their interests and skills. Experience with libraries, archives and history is a plus but on-the-job training is provided for most assignments. Volunteers range from college students to retirees.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Historical Society of Baltimore County, visit the website and fill out the volunteer form. A meeting will then be arranged to discuss your interests and available volunteer opportunities.