The September Project Blog

Come here to learn about the goings-on of The September Project, a grassroots effort to foster public events in all communities on September 11.

Monday, September 11, 2006

SHARE your thoughts!

There are so many events going on today, tomorrow, days past, and future, and I hope everyone is experiencing good turnouts and is pleased with the results of their programs.

A request: please share what happened at your event, either here or on the listserv!

8 Comments:

At September 12, 2006 3:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

our september project at pratt manhattan went very well. it was speaker centered and we had a nice audience. thank go to our librarian, the students, and the september project people for making this happen.

 
At September 13, 2006 12:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The culmination of our September 11 events ended with a remembrance ceremony honoring first responders. At first, our program was to be held outside, as we expected a big crowd. The weather nixed that, though, and we moved in doors! We still had a big crowd, over 200 people. We involved our county commissioners, as our library is affiliated with the county government. Our library director acted as the emcee. We had two musicians on guitar and mandolin. They were awesome. They sang the National Anthem as the colors were presented. We invited a local firefighter who responded directly to New York after 9/11 to share his thoughts. He was originally from Brooklyn and lost many friends that day. That was very moving. We had two patrons read. One patron brought in a poem, The Names, written by Billy Collins. The second patron was a teen who also happened to be Muslim. She read something she had personally written, her thoughts on what happened to her life after this horrible event. By the time she was finishing, she could barely speak through her tears, and the rest of the audience was also in tears. We ended with all the first responders in attendance (in dress uniform) surrounding the audience singing America the Beautiful. It was a very moving experience for all involved.

Jennifer Mahnken
Johnson County Library in Overland Park, Kansas

 
At September 13, 2006 1:55 PM, Blogger BeAReader said...

A link for our full schedule of events : http://tinyurl.com/j6239

Our day is best summed up from my 7:00 P.M. flag pole gathering statement.

I speak for the Sugar Grove Library staff, trustees, Library Friends and Community - thank you for joining us this evening. I am pleased to introduce our State Representative Patricia Reid Lindner, thank you for being here and speaking with us tonight.

Today we commemorate the fifth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001 and by Presidential Proclamation our flag is flown at half-staff in observance of Patriot Day. Let us please take a quiet moment to reflect and to honor the Americans and others from around the world who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks.

We trust that you will walk away from today richer for the experience. You have been invited to join us throughout this 24 hours remembrance to read, reflect and resonate with pride in celebration of our American freedoms. I wish to share with you a statement of belief, the Americans Creed, which was written by William Tyler Page in 1918.

"I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I, therefore, believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies."

Our library mission is about providing information and access to that information. These are opportunities that have been called the twin pillars of a democratic government and an informed citizenry.

The humanities, the branches of knowledge that investigate human beings, their culture, and their self-expression, tell us who we are as a people and why our country is worth fighting for. They are part of our homeland defense. One of the common threads of great civilizations is the cultivation of memory. If we do not remember, we cannot move on, and build a strong future. This is why we call our commemoration of the events of September 11th , 2001, Libraries Remember.

At this time, Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkle would like to say a few words.

Thank you for your words, please stay here, and if I might ask a representative from the Police Department to step forward. On this five year anniversary I wish to extend a special thank you to the Sugar Grove Police and Sugar Grove Fire Departments for participating with us throughout this day, as they have each year on this occasion. We will stand here in the years to come and continue to honor your comrades and others who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks.

At this time and on behalf of the Library Friends and Library Staff I present each department with a Flag of Honor. The flag is created from the names of those who perished, we shall not forget them.

Will the color guard please advance to retire the colors. As the flag is lowered and folded Michelle Drawz will read an explanation on the symbolism behind the folds of the flag . TAPS

 
At September 13, 2006 10:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Roberta Malcolm, Librarian
The Country Day School
www.country-day.com
Huntsville, AL

As one of the first libraries to take part in this project, I have faithfully observed September 11 at school with the children who range in age from preschool to eighth grade. This year was a bit different. As a result of the overwhelming media attention to the 5th 'anniversary', I made the decision to be very low key as my concern was that I not upset students who are just becoming aware of the events.
To that end, I chose to read The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Gerstein to the K-2 grade followed by On That Day by Andrea Patel. We talked about patriots and who and what they are, heroes and how they come in many ways but did not indulge in heavy discussion of the events eventhough one student ( aged 6!) had been given a very graphic copy of the newspaper by his mother and wanted to share and discuss the "...guy falling..."!
The 3-8 graders observed a moment of silence, rang the bell in out bell tower 4 times for the rememberance of the planes and victims and then I read Fireboat- The Heroic Adventure of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman as well as On That Day by Patel.

 
At September 14, 2006 11:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here at the Des Moines Public Library, we offered a "She-roes of our Community" panel discussion by six women who work in various emergency services fields. It was sponsored by Chrysalis Foundation and moderated by Mary Brubaker, a former local talk show host. The women represented a number of local service agencies including: the Des Moines Police Department, the American Red Cross/Central Iowa Chapter, Mercy Medical Center, HAZMAT, Polk County Health Department, and the Center for Disaster Operations and Response for the Iowa Department of Public Health. It was especially rewarding to hear of the great work that these women are doing every day to help our community stay safe.

We also had a visit by the Rolling 9/11 Memorial. You can read about it at: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060911/NEWS/60911009/1001/NEWS

http://www.kcci.com/news/9820948/detail.html

Jan Kaiser
Marketing Coordinator
Des Moines Public Library
Des Moines, IA

 
At September 14, 2006 1:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

AMERICA AND THE WORLD FOR ME

In the summer of 2006, Russell Library, Middletown Rotary Club, and The Middletown Press co-sponsored a creative writing contest for Middletown children. The contest theme was AMERICA AND THE WORLD FOR ME.

We asked the children of Middletown to think what our country and the world mean to them. We invited the students to think how America and the world are always changing. We urged them to think of unity, tolerance and understanding.

We posed the question: What does this mean for you and your family, for your friends and your school? We said their writing can be about the past, present – or even the future!

In this anthology, the children respond with their own thoughts, feelings and hopes for the future. With great pride, we are adding their expressions to the collection of Russell Library.

http://russelllibrary.org/
808.AME

Arthur S. Meyers, Director
Russell Library
September 11, 2006

 
At September 18, 2006 1:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Edina Community Library of Hennepin County Minnesota held a Great Decisions forum on "Human Rights in an Age of Terrorism." Tom Hanson, a retired foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, recalled the initial unity after 9/11 and described the current division of thought about actions taken since the War on Terror was declared. The divisions result from different views on 9/11: was it a watershed event like Pearl Harbor, or comparable to political terrorism in other times and places. The administration defines it as a watershed and says we must fight it as a military war. A different view, put forth by the 911 commission would suggest we should engage in investigation and police work and increased national security. We have not been asked to sacrifice as normally happens in a war, but our civil rights are being curtailed in the name of national security. Eighty people engaged enthusiastically in the discussion following his remarks.

 
At May 05, 2007 1:04 PM, Blogger Barbara said...

I'm embarrassed it has taken so long to share. Busy fall! We had the dedication of a new sculpture, "The Knowing Woman" on Sept. 11th, along with book displays on the events of 9/11 and the US Constitution. Later we hosted campus involvement in the Guantanamo Bay Teach-In.

It's great to see how many libraries are participating around the world!

 

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