Honoring Our Veterans, Remembering Our History
The Institute of Museum and Library Services plays a vital role in preserving military history
Veterans aren't just distant heroes; they grew up in our hometowns and are someone's best friend, spouse, sibling, and child. Libraries recognize the critical role that veterans have played in all our lives and cherish their sacrifices by honoring them in millions of ways.
IMLS Funding Efforts
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) supports libraries and their visions. As an independent federal agency, it provides grants to libraries and museums and works to advance innovation. Each year's grants fund many exciting library projects, from preserving indigenous culture to closing the technology gap.
Honoring Veterans
Institutions all over the country have used IMLS grants to educate people about Americans who have served. They've been doing so by collecting, sharing, and honoring the stories of military veterans. These institutions curate oral stories and community histories. These give the public insight into veterans' lives and their military experiences.
So many projects and exhibits highlighting military life have sprung up thanks to the IMLS. The Save America's Treasures grant has allowed institutions to give new life to artifacts of the past. For example, the Home Port Alliance for Battleship New Jersey used the grant to replace portions of the battleship's deck. This highly decorated military vessel served over half a century, from 1943 to 2000. The ship was used extensively and spent its retirement teaching visitors about military life in the second half of the 20th century. Visitors can explore above and below deck and experience almost every aspect of the ship, from sitting in the captain's chair to laying on the sailors' bunks.
Another institution also took similar steps with their funds from the Save America's Treasures grant. The Buffalo Naval Park Committee uses the grant money to repair the U.S.S. The Sullivans, a destroyer vessel named after five brothers who died in World War II. In addition to the U.S.S. The Sullivans, the Buffalo, Erie County Naval, and Military Park have four decommissioned military vessels.
Community Salute
The IMLS also created the Community Salute Initiative, which was made to strengthen the ability of libraries, museums, and other institutions to respond to the needs of veterans and military families. This was the product of extensive research, interview sessions, and conversations, which led to five resource guides explicitly tailored to how libraries, museums, and archives could work with community veterans.
These five guides covered multiple ways institutions can support veterans and military families. They begin by helping institutions understand veteran communication networks, highlighting demographics, lifestyles, and other analyses that would help them better understand the needs and motivations of veterans. Other guides focused on identifying the institutions' roles, how to partner with other organizations in supporting veterans, capturing veteran stories, and an overview for tailoring services to veterans.
Library Initiatives
Other libraries in the country have special programs that tell the stories of veterans and enlighten their communities about the experiences that veterans have faced. The Gail Borden Public Library created Veterans’ Voice, a program that connects veterans with students. These events feature veterans who have volunteered to tell their stories at schools and other locations. They can be as casual or formal as people like and are focused on sharing stories.
The Big Read is another event that sparked a series of conversations. This multi-partner project centered around Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried and allowed "veterans to speak and be heard.” Thousands of people were involved in creating the event and participating in it. The effects were felt throughout the community. The most important aspect of the program was that veterans could connect with others through stories. Additionally, students in the community learned about challenging topics to teach in a school setting, such as the Vietnam War.
Impact
The IMLS deserves a lot of credit for its work and grants to libraries and other institutions in the country. With funding being a concern for many learning spaces, it is more important than ever that institutions have support in furthering their missions and carrying out projects that benefit countless people.
Visit everylibrary.org to learn how to support the essential resources that libraries offer their communities.
