Beaumont salutes World War I veterans with lecture series

New lecture series will help mark centennial anniversary of U.S. entry into the war.

Bringing history to life is the goal of programs being developed at the Beaumont Library District to coincide with the centennial anniversary of America’s entry into World War I in 1917. googleoff: all

With the help of a $1,200 “World War I and America” grant presented by Library of America with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, scholar-moderated discussions will be offered along with specific reading materials written by Americans who experienced the war firsthand.googleoff: all

“We are always looking for programming ideas that will be of interest to our community and since receiving the grant to establish the Veterans Resource Center, we have been particularly interested in programming aimed at our veterans,” Adult Services Librarian Erin Morrow said.googleoff: all

The volunteer-staffed resource center, which opened in January, is the result of a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the California State Librarian. googleoff: all

“People think about libraries as places that house books but, really, we exist to provide access to resources,” said Morrow, 32.googleoff: all

It was through the center’s connections that the latest grant opportunity became known and seemed like a good fit, according to Morrow, who wrote the grant and is serving as its project coordinator.googleoff: all

“We will have the opportunity to explore how America has dealt with war and our veterans in the past and how differently (or not) we handle similar issues now,” Morrow said. googleoff: all

“We will also have the opportunity to explore how American involvement in this particular war changed us as a nation,” Morrow said, “especially taking into account the fact that the United States was only actively involved for about 19 months.”googleoff: all

She said the library already has a collection of nonfiction books for children and adults that offer an overview of the war as well as a variety of novels and films set during WWI.googleoff: all

As part of the most recent grant, the library will be adding “World War I and America: Told by the Americans Who Lived It,” an annotated narrative collection. The anthology, edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer A. Scott Berg in collaboration with an advisory board comprised of distinguished WWI scholars, is being published in March.googleoff: all

“We also plan to appoint a liaison from within our local veteran community to assist us with the planning and promotion of the programs,” Morrow said. “I actually had someone volunteer to speak about a relative’s experience in the war after hearing about the grant award, which is so cool. Having a scholarly perspective is important, but being able to offer a personal perspective as well will really allow us to bring that human connection to our community.”googleoff: all

The Beaumont Library District is at 125 E. Eighth St. in Beaumont.googleoff: all

Information: 951-845-1357googleoff: all

Contact the writer: dianerhodes.writer@gmail.com

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