Libraries Preserve Veterans’ Stories

This Veterans Day, I Love Libraries remembers those who have served in the U.S. armed forces throughout American history by exploring the various military and veterans’ collections at libraries across the U.S. They’re fascinating and sobering histories that reveal incredible stories of bravery, patriotism, and sacrifice.

The Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress (LC) collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, allowing future generations to hear directly from veterans to better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service.

The archive includes more than 100,000 personal narratives from individual veterans, taking the form of oral history interviews as well as original manuscript materials, such as memoirs, letters, diaries, and artwork, as well as original photographs.

Individual libraries across the U.S. are helping LC collect these narratives, inviting local veterans to their facilities to video record their stories which will then be submitted to the Veterans History Project. Some libraries, like Nashville (Tenn.) Public Library, have even posted the testimonies they’re collected from WWII, Vietnam War, and Korean War vets to their website for all to hear.

LC also has a vast collection of photos, documents, videos, and more focused on Memorial Day that have been digitized for viewing on their website.

Texas Military Veteran Video Oral Histories

The digital collection of Texas military veteran video oral histories available online from Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, includes more than 65 recordings of military veterans recounting their lives and memories including their childhood, military service, and post-military lives. The project was developed in partnership with the Library of Congress Veteran’s History Project and the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas with support from a TexTreasures grant provided by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The Pritzker Military Museum and Library

The online collection from the Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago is staggering. More than 13,000 digitized items, including a selection of prints, posters, original artwork, artifacts, manuscripts and documents, maps, photographs, and negatives from the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s collection, are available online for browsing and research purposes.

For those able to visit the museum in person, the museum offers more than 250 archival collections that detail the personal stories of service members in nearly every U.S. war, with a focus on World War I, World War II, and U.S. Army service members. Of particular note is the Hershel “Woody” Williams Collection, which includes a citation and authentic Navy Medal of Honor issued to former Marine Woody Williams, a veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The museum’s library is made up of titles spanning all periods of history, countries, cultures, peoples, and branches of the U.S. military.

Learn more about libraries that are preserving veterans’ stories at American Libraries and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

How you can support libraries

With library funding being gutted and censorship on the rise, supporting libraries is more critical than ever. If you’re looking for a way to help, we urge you to become a Supporter of the American Library Association by donating. 

At the American Library Association, we are here to protect libraries — today and for generations to come. What does your donation do? It helps a neighbor gain skills to start a business. It helps a child discover themselves through books and programs. And it helps keep libraries strong, open, and free for everyone.