Page 1 - Oxford Winter 2020 NL

Oxford Public Library News Winter 2020
Vol. 23, No. 4
www.MiOPL.org
Management Team & Board of Directors
Library Director & CEO Bryan J. Cloutier Administrative Assistant Mary Ann Dorda
Head of Adult Services Laura Fromwiller Head of Teen Services Rachael Quinn
Head of Youth Services Kim Burean
Head of Support Services Jackie Seimer
Building Superintendent Terry Brewer
President & Board Chair Kathy Hoeflein
Vice President
Tony Rizzo
Treasurer
Jean Davidson Secretary
Julie Fracker Trustee
Lynn Royster Trustee DuAnne Cook
Mission Statement
The Oxford Public Library provides access to the world, enriches the community, and promotes lifelong learning and enjoyment.
Transforming Tomorrow, Preserving our Past, & Enriching Lives Today
E pluribus Unum—
Out of many, One.
Embracing our motto: Transforming Tomorrow, Preserving Our Past, and Enriching Lives Today, I am pleased to announce that the
Oxford Public Library is scheduled to host the Michigan in the Civil War exhibit, arriving in early 2021. On loan to us from the Detroit Historical Society and Museum, in Detroit, it describes Michigan’s involvement in the Civil War as playing a crucial role... “From the first shots at Fort Sumter, South Carolina until the final surrender
at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. Not all Michiganders were in favor of going to war, but when the war came, thousands of Michigan men and women willingly stepped forward to help secure the Union.”
Highlighting and building on 10 predominant themes: Michigan in the Civil War; Women in the Civil War; The Iron Brigade: MI 24th Infantry; Unsung Heroes: Engineers and Mechanics; The Civil War in the
News; A Soldier’s Life; United States Colored Troops; The Music Makers; Post War: the Grand Army of
the Republic; and Monuments to the Civil War, it unravels Michigan’s journey through stories, photos and artifacts. In partnership with the Northeast Oakland Historical Society and Museum in downtown Oxford, our team of librarians, historians, and curators, have blended an additional theme in to the exhibit: Oxford’s Contributions to the War. The one thing that will be notably missing from this year’s exhibition however, is the opening reception and gala. In light of growing COVID-19 health concerns, we chose to forego the party this year. We feel the exhibit stands on its own merit and is sure to not disappoint library visitors. Blending art, history,
educational programming, photos, patriotic song, and fascinating artifacts—the Michigan in the Civil War exhibit will be a learning experience for the entire family to enjoy.
The American Civil War not only transformed the physical landscape of America, it positioned family against family, friend and against friend, and set the stage for an even more significant transformation of its people. As a librarian and a historian who has studied early American history quite extensively over the years, I believe President Abraham Lincoln most notably solidified the importance behind the concept of the phrase ‘E pluribus Unum’ in his 1838 speech in Springfield, Ill., whereby he evoked the conceptualization that “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Without getting too entangled in the political landscape we are currently in—it’s almost uncannily coincidental that this concept would ring as true and as important today as our Republic is faced with such turmoil and divide nearly 182 years later. Strength, honor, integrity and grit will get
us through yet another hill in the road—like those challenges that came before us, this too shall pass and my hope is that it will make us better because of it.
Bryan J. Cloutier Director & CEO