University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries awarded grant from ALA and NEH to host Civil War reading and discussion series

LOWELL, MA – University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries received a $3,000 grant from the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to host “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War,” a five-part reading and discussion series. The library is one of 65 public libraries nationwide receiving grants to host the series which will encourage participants to consider the legacy of the Civil War and emancipation. Local support for the series is provided by: Dracut Public Library, Chelmsford Public Library, Tewksbury Public Library, Billerica Public Library, the Learning in Retirement Association, and the Civil War Round Tables of Massachusetts.

“The Civil War takes us back to a time in American history when civility ruptured and the nation split in two,” said Jim Leach, chairman of NEH.  “The sesquicentennial of the Civil War and emancipation is an occasion for America to reflect together about the causes and ramifications of our greatest internal conflict, and a most appropriate way for ‘us the living’ to renew the American spirit in these still-troubled times.”

Michael Pierson, PhD,  a Professor of History at University of Massachusetts Lowell,  will lead a discussion of the book at each session. Dr. Pierson is the author of two books: Mutiny at Fort Jackson: The Untold Story of the Fall of New Orleans (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008) and Free Hearts and Free Homes: Gender and American Antislavery Politics (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003

Discussion sessions will take place on the following Tuesday evenings in 2012:  Jan 24th, Feb 14th, Mar 6th, Mar 27th, and Apr 24th.  All sessions are from 7- 9pm at O’Leary Library on South Campus.  For details or to register, please visit http://libguides.uml.edu/LTAI or contact Sara Marks: 978-934-4581; sara_marks@uml.edu. To obtain copies of program materials, please contact Sara Marks.