50 public and academic libraries selected to host extended traveling exhibition from ALA and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

CHICAGO — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association (ALA) have announced 50 libraries that will host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.

Following a highly successful tour to 50 libraries from 2021 to 2024, the touring library exhibition — based on the special exhibition of the same name at the Museum in Washington, D.C. — will visit an additional 50 public and academic (i.e., college and university) libraries from 2024 to 2026. View the list of selected sites.

More than 150 libraries applied for the 50 spots; sites were chosen through a competitive, peer-reviewed application process that considered a demonstrated interest in and need for quality Holocaust education, among other factors. Selected libraries serve a diverse range of communities, from Seward Community Library & Museum in Alaska, to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to the Heart of America Library in Rugby, North Dakota. The exhibition will cover wide distances, traveling 5,000 miles from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to Meredith Public Library in New Hampshire.

The 1,100-square-foot exhibition examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media and the general public. Drawing on a remarkable collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ’40s, the exhibition tells the stories of Americans who acted in response to Nazism. It provides a portrait of American society that shows how the Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust.

From March to May 2022, the Marshalltown Public Library in Iowa hosted the exhibition and local media reported that the town, inspired by the exhibition, recently sponsored a Ukrainian family fleeing the war.

Selected libraries will receive a $3,000 cash grant to support programming during their display period. Libraries from the first phase of the tour built strong relationships with outside partners to expand public programming. Boise State University’s Albertsons Library in Idaho teamed with a local synagogue and a local Holocaust center to organize a remembrance walk. In addition, libraries selected to host the exhibit must present at least one program designed specifically for high school or university students. The Chattanooga Public Library in Tennessee worked with the local department of education to bring nearly 2,000 students to visit the exhibition.

One library staff member will also have expenses paid to attend an orientation workshop at the Museum in May 2024.

Americans and the Holocaust was made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor Jeannie & Jonathan Lavine. Additional major funding was provided by the Bildners — Joan & Allen z”l, Elisa Spungen & Rob, Nancy & Jim; and Jane & Daniel Och. The Museum's exhibitions are also supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.

USHMM Contact: Raymund Flandez, Senior Communications Officer, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, rflandez@ushmm.org

About the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A nonpartisan, federal educational institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust dedicated to ensuring the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding and relevance. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. For more information, visit ushmm.org.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.