Hairwork jewelry is shown from Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Mo.

These days, shorn human hair is either disposed of or, in rare cases, turned into wigs.

There was a time, though, when hair was often turned into jewelry, wreaths or other mementos.

Helen Sheumaker, author of “Love Entwined: The Curious History of Hairwork in America,” will talk about hair art during an event at 7 p.m. today at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. The presentation is part of Civil War on the Western Frontier events.

Sheumaker teaches public history in the American studies department at Miami University of Ohio, and she is education coordinator at the William Holmes McGuffey Museum in Oxford, Ohio.

In addition to the talk, Leila Cohoon, who owns and operates Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence, Mo., will display a selection of hair items from her collection.