remembering the great war
TRANSCRIPT
Remembering the Great War: Library Programming for the
World War I Centennial at Oklahoma State University
David D. OberhelmanOklahoma State University Library
I. Inspiration & Planning
Preliminary Planning/Proposal• Documents librarian and subject librarian planned
spring 2014• Centenary of WWI in 1917 (US entry), but war started
in 1914• Discussion of programming• Focus on international/national, regional, local (Oklahoma,
Payne County/Stillwater, Oklahoma A&M College)• Use resources in Government Docs, local history collections• Speakers: multidisciplinary approach w/ historical focus; OSU
faculty but also invite some external speakers• Spread out over several years (up to 2018)
• Proposal written and accepted by Dean of Libraries
Logistics• Funding for speaker fees from endowment money;
Friends of the Library for the refreshments (grant money also possible from Oklahoma Humanities Council, AMIGOS, etc.)• OSU Library Communications Office to handle the
publicity and the flyer design, etc. (can be done on smaller scale)• Partner with History Dept. for speaker ideas and
publicity (classes) • Summer 2014 began recruiting speakers for first
semester, planning future semesters
Programming Series to Date
Programs Fall 2014-Spring 2016• Overview of WWI • Tolkien and WWI • Religion on the Western Front (religious history)• WWI and the Russian Revolution• Piano Music of WWI (Frank Bridge, Erik Satie, Maurice
Ravel, Enrique Granados)
Programs, cont.• Wilson and Civil Liberties (Constitutional Day)• US Economy and WWI• WWI and the “Mess” of the Modern Middle East• WWI and Disabled Veterans
• Future Programs:• Local and Oklahoma Response• Choctaw Code Talkers/Native Americans in WWI• Women and WWI• Military Technology and WWI (Tanks, Artillery, etc.)• Spanish Flu Pandemic
Program Series Website – info.library.okstate.edu/greatwar
Social Media
Flyer
Video (OState.tv)
Local Resources
OSU Library Digital Collection - dc.library.okstate.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/OAMCWW1
Oklahoma Historical Society – okhistory.org
Choctaw Nation
National/International Resources
National World War I Museum & Memorial Kansas City, MO - www.theworldwar.org
National Archives WWI Resources - www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/
LOC American Memory: Newspaper Pictorials - memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/rotogravures/
First World War Centenary, Imperial War Museum – www.1914.org
Int’l Society for First World War Studies Bibliography - www.firstworldwarstudies.org/
