The Mississippi State University Libraries is home to two premier Civil War collections and this month those collections are working together to present a timely and important live webinar and book talk with Dr. Yael Sternhell.
The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, along with the MSU Libraries, will host the live book talk and Q&A on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 12 noon (CST).
“MSU's two premier Civil War collections are partnering in order to bring related scholarly content to the public. In the webinar format, we are bringing this scholarship and discussion to an audience beyond the Starkville and MSU communities,” said Dr. Anne Marshall, Executive Director of the Grant Presidential Library.
“People can tune in from anywhere! It also allows us to engage with an excellent scholar who is located half a world away. This event is targeted to anyone who enjoys U.S. history, and especially the Civil War era,” Marshall added.
Sternhell’s new book, War on Record: The Archive and Afterlife of the of the Civil War, examines the creation of The War of the Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and the Confederate Armies. Known as the OR, scholars and citizens considered this collection of documents to be the defining source for the study of the Civil War, according to Dr. Susannah J. Ural, chair of the Williams Collection of Lincolniana.
Ural said that in War on Record, Sternhell looks at who decided what to include and exclude in the OR, and how these records shaped and mis-shaped Americans’ understanding of the Civil War.
“The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion is the foundational source for nearly anything written about Civil War military history. Yet, scholars and the public know little about the political battles behind its creation,” Ural said. “Dr. Sternhell tells this story in her fascinating book, and we’re excited to have her share this with attendees.”
This is an online event. Registration is required (https://msstate.libcal.com/event/11903347) and the event link will be sent to registrants closer to the event. For more information, please call 662-325-7668.
