Contact: Jeffrey Lofton (202) 707-6432
Contact: Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071

November 8, 2011

Veterans History Project Commemorates Veterans Day with Make it Meaningful Initiative

2011 Marks Project’s 11th Year

The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center celebrates Veterans Day 2011 as an opportunity to make the holiday more meaningful by recognizing veterans in the workplace. The centerpiece of the Make it Meaningful Initiative is a range of easy-to-implement activities that organizations may use to recognize the veterans who work among them.

"Our goal was to mark the 11th anniversary of the U.S. congressional mandate to create the Veterans History Project by providing organizations that contribute collections to VHP with a mechanism to thank the veterans who work among us every day," said Veterans History Project Director Bob Patrick. "For example, say thank you for your service to our nation, or download a VHP Field Kit and offer to record the interview of a colleague who is also a veteran."

The Library will host Take Your Veteran to Work Day activities on Nov. 10, to highlight military-related collections in the Library and encourage veterans on staff to share their stories with VHP. To receive a copy of Make it Meaningful Initiative activities, email vohp@loc.gov and place "Make it Meaningful" in the subject line.

National Industries for the Blind (NIB) is one of a host of organizations joining the nationwide Make It Meaningful Initiative. Kevin Lynch, president and CEO of NIB, said, "At NIB, we are encouraging our nationwide network of 90 nonprofits to take time this Veterans Day to honor, thank and remember our men and women in uniform. NIB and our agencies employ and partner with many veterans, and we serve thousands of military customers at our 140 Base Supply Center stores across the country. Therefore, we are truly honored to be a part of such a meaningful initiative."

The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) has contributed to the VHP collection since 2003, working with members of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) to collect and transcribe approximately 2,300 veterans’ histories. NCRF continues that support by sharing Make It Meaningful Initiative ideas with NCRA’s 19,000 members. In addition, NCRF and NCRA staff will observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day to recognize staff members who are veterans. NCRA/NCRF leadership said, "The range of activities provided by the Library of Congress offer easy, but important, ways to show we care about those who serve our country. The staff of NCRA and NCRF encourage everyone to find ways to Make It Meaningful this Veterans Day."

Other organizations joining VHP in the Make it Meaningful Initiative include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service, AARP and the AARP Foundation, American Red Cross chapters in Texas and California, GolinHarris, Atria Senior Living, The Corporation for National and Community Service, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Judicial Center Library (Washington, D.C.), The Securities and Exchange Commission—Boston Region, and the Gulf Coast Veterans Advocacy Council.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds nearly 147 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.

Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 as a national documentation program of the American Folklife Center (www.loc.gov/folklife/) to collect, preserve and make accessible the first-hand remembrances of American wartime veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteers may request more information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to VHP’s RSS on the VHP home page.

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PR 11-211
11/08/11
ISSN 0731-3527

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