What's your library doing on September 11?

by Rodger Herbst

On December 18, 2001, Congress designated September 11th "Patriot Day," a National Holiday. People don't seem to talk much about it. The purpose of The September Project (TSP) is to get them to talk; to engage the general public in dialog regarding September 11, our country, our government, and our community.

The engagement will be facilitated within the community by public libraries. Libraries will plan and organize events which might include talks, round tables, performances, and readings. For example, a library might invite local authors, poets, media professionals, and politicians, to speak on various topics, and then invite the audience to join in conversation. Round tables might be organized to offer various perspectives on topics such as the Patriot Act, education, health care, and democracy. Interested citizens and organizations are encouraged to contact participating libraries with their ideas, which might include tabling or workshops. Key to the success of this program is the active participation of citizens and citizen groups.

TSP originated with the University of Washington, in conjunction with Seattle Public Libraries, but has expanded to libraries throughout the nation. David Silver, project co-director, envisions libraries participating in 16,000 cities throughout the nation. The project already has over 255,000 requests to subscribe to their drizzle.com list serve. (You can subscribe for email list serve updates, as well as keep track of participating libraries, at their web site www.theseptemberproject.org .)

TSP currently consists of co-directors David Silver and Sarah Washburn, as well as a local and national advisory board. David Silver is Assistant Professor of Communications at UW, and heads the UW-affiliated Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies (www.com.washington.edu/rccs). Sarah Washburn is a former member of the US Library Program, current director of a Seattle-based literacy program called The Reading Room, and spends her free time as a Communication Strategist helping non-profits perfect their online presence.

The Local Advisory Board includes Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Communication; Douglas Honig, Communications Director of ACLU of Washington; and Margit Rankin, Executive Director of Seattle Arts and Lectures. The National Advisory Board includes Bill Erbes, Founder of Libraries Remember; Chris Jowaisis, Manager of Network Deployment of the US Library Program; and Robert Putnam, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University.

Please feel free to contact info@theseptemberproject.org for further information.