23 libraries selected to host “Lewis and Clark” traveling exhibit
Contact: Lainie Castle
Project Director, PPO
(312) 280-5055
lcastle@ala.org
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2007
23 libraries selected to host “Lewis and Clark” traveling exhibit
CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, in cooperation with the Newberry Library, is pleased to announce that 23 public and academic libraries have been selected to host the traveling exhibition, “Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country.” The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has provided major funding for the traveling exhibition, with additional support from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country” is based on a major exhibition of the same title, which was on display at the Newberry Library from September 28, 2005 through January 14, 2006. Support for the exhibition at the Newberry Library was provided by the NEH, the Sara Lee Foundation, the National Park Service, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Lewis and Clark” will bring public audiences a new set of ideas about the encounters of Native Americans with the United States Corps of Discovery between 1804 and 1806, and will trace the dramatic impact of those encounters during the subsequent two centuries. Exhibit visitors will be offered unique opportunities to explore the “Indian Country” as it existed at the beginning of the 19th century; to glimpse the variety of relationships Native peoples and the Lewis and Clark party forged with one another; to view the impact of the American presence on the Indian Country; and to reflect on the efforts of contemporary reservation communities to support and sustain the Indian Country and its remarkable cultures in the 21st century.
Libraries selected for the tour will host the 1,000 square foot exhibit for a six-week period between October 2007 and November 2011. Libraries will make the exhibit available for public viewing and host a number of educational programs and receptions to increase the public’s understanding of the exhibit and its themes. All showings of the exhibition and related programs will be free and open to the public.
The libraries selected for the Lewis and Clark tour (in alphabetical order by state) are:
· University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, Ark.
· University of Colorado at Denver Auraria Library, Denver
· Clewiston Public Library, Clewiston, Fla.
· Augusta-Richmond County Library, Augusta, Ga.
· Briar Cliff University Library/Sioux City Lewis Interpretive Center, Sioux City, Iowa
· Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Ill.
· Purdue University Libraries, West Lafayette, Ind.
· Wichita State University Libraries, Wichita, Kan.
· Boone County Public Library, Union, Ky.
· St. Mary Parish Library, Franklin, La.
· Bay Mills Community College Library and Heritage Center, Brimley, Mich.
· Petoskey Public Library, Petoskey, Mich.
· St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn.
· University of Minnesota/Duluth, Duluth, Minn.
· Chadron State College, Chadron, Neb.
· University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, Neb.
· Dartmouth College Baker-Berry Library, Dartmouth, N.H.
· Ocean County Library, Toms River, N.J.
· Poughkeepsie Public Library District, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
· Wayne County Public Library, Wooster, Ohio
· Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.
· Brigham City Public Library, Brigham City, Utah
· Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis.
For more information about Lewis and Clark, including the tour itinerary, please visit http://www.ala.org/publicprograms.
Established in 1992, the ALA Public Programs Office has a strong track record of developing library programming initiatives, including the acclaimed reading and discussion series "Let's Talk About It!," film discussion programs on humanities themes, traveling exhibitions, LIVE! @ your library®, and other programs. Recently, it has established the Cultural Communities Fund, an endowment fund created to help all types of libraries across the country bring communities together through cultural programming (www.ala.org/ccf). More than 10,000 libraries and at least 10 million individuals have participated in library programming initiatives supported by the Public Programs Office. For more information, visit www.ala.org/publicprograms.
The Newberry Library, free and open to the public, is one of the world’s leading independent research libraries. Focusing on the humanities, the library’s evolving collections embrace the history and literature of the civilizations of Western Europe and the Americas. The Newberry offers a host of exhibits, lectures, classes, concerts and other public programming related to the collections, in addition to highly acclaimed fellowships and programs for scholars, teachers and undergraduates. For more information, visit www.newberry.org.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports lifelong learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in “Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country” do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about NEH, visit www.neh.gov.
