Remembering the Great War

Remembering the Great War: Library Programming for the

World War I Centennial at Oklahoma State University

David D. OberhelmanOklahoma State University Library

d.oberhelman@okstate.edu

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/