Special Report: The Legacy of 9/11 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Special Report: The Legacy of 9/11

September 1, 2021

In the aftermath, American Libraries tried to make sense of the tragedy and our nation’s response, and consider their implications for libraries and American Library Association members. Our 2001 and 2002 reporting covered topics related to collections destroyed in the attacks, communities dealing with Islamophobia, restrictions imposed on civil liberties, and what librarian eyewitnesses remembered … Continue reading Special Report: The Legacy of 9/11 →

The Sphere, a sculpture by Fritz Koenig, survived the collapse of the Twin Towers partially intact. The unrestored sculpture now sits in New York City's Liberty Park near the National September 11 Memorial Museum. (Photo: Michael Rieger/FEMA)

What Was Lost

By Terra Dankowski | September 1, 2021

Kathleen D. Roe, chief of archival services at New York State Archives in Albany at the time and now retired, says her team was prepared to deal with wet or dusty records or damaged collections. “We pretty quickly found out that either collections were pretty much okay because they were in a safe building that … Continue reading What Was Lost →

Silhouette of mosque on gold background (Illustration: green2/AdobeStock)

Understanding the Other

By Sallyann Price | September 1, 2021

Ghada Kanafini Elturk, a Lebanese American who was then working as community and cultural outreach librarian at Boulder (Colo.) Public Library, described the hostility against Muslims and Arab Americans in the months after the attacks. “Those Americans who are not familiar with my culture do not show respect,” she told American Libraries reporter Ron Chepesiuk … Continue reading Understanding the Other →

Globe with arrow pointing to Newfoundland, inset photo of Gander Public Library exterior (Photo: ©cnky photography/Adobe Stock (globe); Gander (Newfoundland) Public and Resources Library (exterior))

A Safe Haven in the Sea

By Amy Carlton | September 1, 2021

Gander’s small airport had evolved from a strategic post during World War II to a refueling station for transatlantic flights during the 1950s and 1960s. The planes began arriving on the day of the attack. Soucy, now retired, and then–GPRL Manager Glenda Peddle, who died in 2018, knew people working in air traffic control who … Continue reading A Safe Haven in the Sea →

The Internet Archive’s Understanding 9/11 video archive features footage from 20 news outlets spanning the period from the morning of September 11 to September 17, 2001.

Archives of an Attack

By Phil Morehart | September 1, 2021

One explanation for the staying power of these memories is that we witnessed them in real time, on television. New York City–based morning programs like NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America and local news channels broadcast the attacks to the country as they unfolded, giving viewers direct access to the raw tragedy and sensory … Continue reading Archives of an Attack →

The Connecticut Four. From left: Barbara Bailey, Peter Chase, George Christian, and Janet Nocek

Defenders of Patron Privacy

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | September 1, 2021

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), they challenged the climate of surveillance and government overreach that followed the September 11 attacks, showing the nation that librarians would stand by the rights of patrons and civil liberties. Here, the four share their memories of the experience and its resonance today with American … Continue reading Defenders of Patron Privacy →

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