“Connecting Through Time and Place, from the Postcard Collection of Laurel Patterson” will be on exhibit in April and May at the Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., Butler.

Patterson’s collection includes more than 1,100 postcards from across the U.S. and around the world with postmarks dating from 1907.

Patterson created the collection from personal correspondence, deceased relatives of friends, flea markets and antique shops.

“Postcards, to me, bring joy in various ways,” she said. “I can visit wonderful places vicariously through the photos and messages, and I can travel through time as I read postcards from before I was born, look at the old stamps, or see how a place looked 25, 50 and even 100 years ago.”

The exhibit will feature picture postcards of Pittsburgh, national parks, Spanish-speaking countries, stamps, postmarks, writing styles and mailing addresses as they have changed over time.

Patterson, of Butler, is a retiree who spends time writing and speaking on various topics, including ecopsychology and well-being.

The postcard exhibit will be on display in the second-floor gallery at the library until the end of May.