the september project » exhibit

Saint Martin’s University O’Grady Library participates

sarah — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:38:41 +0000

Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington has announced their participation in the September Project. Their events focus on “how libraries can help explore controversial topics.”

A Digital Journalism class will explore the controversy surrounding the Olympia food co-op’s decision to boycott Israeli products (on a local scale) and issues surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (on a global scale).

The Digital Journalism students will research the topic and create a slide show which will include 40-80 quotes, various sources and images, representing multiple perspectives on the issue. The slide show will run on the library wall monitors during a week in September. This slide show will also be made available online.

“Inspire, Challenge, Engage”

smhernandez — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:56:35 +0000

This is the fourth year that Goffstown Public Library in New Hampshire will be participating in the September Project. In past years, GPL has hosted some creative and inspiring events (such as Eyes Wide Open). This year, library coordinator Sandy Whipple and her colleagues will be hosting a number of truly remarkable events.

Here are a few of the events:

Author Thomas “Doc” Middleton book signing and discussion of Saber’s Edge: A Combat Medic in Ramadi Iraq (Sept. 9)

“Thank a Hero” Card Making – Kids of all ages are invited to create a “thank-you” card to send to servicemen and women, or to local heroes such as firemen, policemen, and public works employees. (Sept.11)

National POW-MIA Recognition Day Display – Stop in to view The Missing Man Table, a somber display remembering thousands of service men and women whose whereabouts remain unknown. (Sept. 18)

Education in Exile: Literacy Instruction in a Tibetan Refugee Community in the Himalayas with Professor Carolyn Gamtso (Sept. 30)

For the complete list of events check out the GPL events calendar.

As well as hosting these events throughout September, GPL will be open for twenty-four hours on Sept. 11. Also, GPL will be sponsoring a helmet liner knit a thon during their 24-hour opening on 9/11. The knitting has already begun in places as far away as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Amazing things are happening over there in Goffstown N.H and we look forward to hearing how these events turn out!

The 1st Amendment

smhernandez — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:35:17 +0000

September is right around the corner and we are anticipating the upcoming events. Recently, we have received word from the Gleeson Library at The University of San Francisco that their event will focus on the first amendment.

photos by: davidsilver

They plan on having posters for each of the freedoms listed in the first amendment:

1) Freedom of religion

2) Freedom of speech

3) Freedom of the press

4) Peaceable assembly

5) Right to petition

Also, they plan on displaying one or two books that relate to each freedom as well as explanatory text about Constitution Day and the September Project. Finally, the Gleason Library will be providing free U.S Constitution copies and booklets called “Our American Government” from the Government Printing Office. This should be a great event and be sure to check this one out if you are in San Francisco!

Designing an Event

smhernandez — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:59:46 +0000

As mentioned in previous posts, it is hard to define what makes the “perfect” September Project event. There are no set templates when it comes to designing a good activity, book display or community project. But from looking at past TSP events, some of the most interesting projects capture the surrounding culture and history of the region. They inform the community about important topics such as health care, freedom of the press, and sustainability.

In 2008, the BUS-eum of the TRACES museum in St. Paul visited the North Dakota State College of Science. The TRACES museum deals with a variety of different aspects concerning World War II. For this exhibit, they focused on Nazi prisoner of war camps that were established in the U.S (Three of these camps were in North Dakota).

The Mildred Johnson Library sponsored the exhibit and also designed a book display about Nazi P.O.Ws. The display had books by Nazi prisoners and included information about banned books and Constitutions Day. This TSP event had special relevance at the time due to the troubling news stories about detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

This is just one of the many great events that have been done for The September Project. When designing events, we encourage librarians to be as creative as possible and to try new ideas!

Local Heroes at Waycross College Library

david — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:28:30 +0000

Janice Williams, Reference Librarian at Waycross College Library in Georgia, posted to the project listserv to share her library’s September Project:

Last April, Waycross and surrounding cities experienced one of the worst wildfires in Georgia since the 1950s. Hundreds of square miles of forest and swampland were affected. Hundreds of residents had to flee their homes for short periods. Waycross and surrounding cities including cities in Florida lived with dense clouds of smoke for months. More than 1000 firefighters from as far away as California fought the fires to keep us safe. Our September project, designed and coordinated by our Circulation Supervisor, Tricia Hope, aims to honor our local heroes: firefighters, police officers, hospital workers.

Eyes Wide Open, an exhibit at Goffstown Public Library, NH

sarah — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:45:03 +0000

The Goffstown Public Library participated in the September Project last year, with a list of events including film, discussion, and a presentation broadcast from another participating library. This year, they’ve organized a haunting, yet apropos exhibit, described best here:

The Goffstown Public Library is honored to be hosting “Eyes Wide Open: an Exhibition on the Human Costs of the Iraqi War” through the month of September. This widely-acclaimed display is a project of the American Friends Service Committee and features a pair of boots representing each U.S. military casualty resulting from the war in Iraq. The original display included casualties from all 50 states but due to increasing numbers of losses, the exhibit was split and now circulates by region. The exhibit at Goffstown Public Library represents the 6 New England states with 159 pairs of boots. Each pair of boots carries the name and home state of an individual casualty. In many cases, friends and loved ones have left notes, flowers, id tags and other commemorative items which will remain with the boots as they continue on their journey. The library intends to provide each pair with a 3 inch metallic star bearing the wish of an individual who participated in last year’s September Project, “Wishes For Our World.” The public is invited to view this moving exhibit and to share their thoughts and reflections in a journal dedicated to this project. On September 11th, the exhibit will be placed on the library’s lawn for the day after a morning benediction. To round out the day, the library will host a discussion on Civil Liberties in the Post 9/11 World, featuring Prof. Richard Hesse from the Franklin Pierce Law Center.

For more information on “Eyes Wide Open”, please go to www.afsc.org.