Library News
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War
Posted on July 29th, 2015
Booth Library will host a national traveling exhibit titled “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” from Sept. 4-Oct. 16. In addition to the national exhibit, a variety of related exhibits will be on display in the library on a variety of subjects, including Lincoln’s connection to Coles County. During the six-week period of the exhibit, the library will host several programs related to the Lincolns and the Civil War era. More information is available on the series web page here.
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War offers a fresh perspective on Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. Organized thematically, the exhibition explores how Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the Civil War — the secession of Southern states, slavery, and wartime civil liberties. The exhibition presents a more complete understanding of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Civil War as the nation’s gravest constitutional crisis.
Even as the convention that framed the U.S. Constitution ended in September 1787, Americans began debating critical issues that their founding charter left unresolved. Were the states truly “united”? How could a country founded on the belief that “all men are created equal” tolerate slavery? Would civil liberties be safe in a national emergency? Like ticking time-bombs, these issues threatened to explode.
Finally, with the election of Abraham Lincoln as the nation’s first anti-slavery president, they did. As the country plunged toward civil war, Americans wondered whether their new president-elect — a one-term congressman and trial lawyer from Illinois — could resolve the crisis. Would Abraham Lincoln survive the test? Would the nation?
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, a traveling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.
Find out how Booth Library can help you — take a tour
Posted on July 22nd, 2015
Eastern students, faculty and staff members are encouraged to take a tour of Booth Library and find out what the library has to offer.
Twenty-minute tours will be offered regularly during the first four weeks of the semester. There’s no need to sign up, just come to the north lobby of the library to join in any of the tours Monday through Thursday at 10 a.m., 1 and 5 p.m. Aug. 24-Sept. 18.
Library adds 1,167 new titles in June
Posted on July 10th, 2015
During the month of June, Booth Library acquired and cataloged 1,167 new items. The list can be viewed here. The list is arranged by location: Ballenger Teachers Center, Books, Electronic Resources, Illinois and Federal Documents, Maps, Media, Reference Collection, Special Collections and University Archives. The titles are listed by call number within each location. Please contact Karen Whisler, head of Collection Development, at 581-7551 or klwhisler@eiu.edu if you have questions.
Booth Library honored by Coles County Historical Society
Posted on July 1st, 2015
On June 15, 2015, the annual Coles County Historical Society’s Founder’s Day Dinner was held at the Stadium Grill in Mattoon.
The Society’s Annual Award was given to Dr. Allen Lanham, dean of library services, and Beth Heldebrandt, public relations director at Booth Library at EIU, to honor the work they have done in promoting and preserving local history through exhibits, particularly the “Quanah and Cynthia Ann Parker” exhibit.
Mike Watts, past director of Tarble Arts Center, EIU, was also given the award for his work in the transfer of ownership and restoration of the Charles and Hannah Morton portraits and for featuring exhibits of local history.
The awards were plaques placed on a marble square from the 1892 Coles County Jail.
Rick Riccio was the featured speaker for the evening. He provided a sneak preview of the exhibit now under construction at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exhibit will include replicating water, aquatic plants and animals, a dugout canoe and a mural showing more wetland plants and terrain, in addition to cultural features. He shared interesting information about designing and installing the exhibit.
