We the People . . .

The Valatie Free Library was one of three thousand libraries nationwide which recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. The grant, a bookshelf entitled We the People, includes seventeen books on the theme, “Created Equal.” In honor of the approaching 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, four of the books are about him and his accomplishments. Four of the seventeen titles are also included in Spanish translation.

On Friday, June 20, 2008, VFL initiated its We the People Bookshelf in the library with Mrs. Christa Slater's third grade class. Mrs. Mary Ann Lizzi, retired Ichabod Crane High School social studies teacher, began the hour by connecting the theme of equality in the Gettysburg Address to that in the Declaration of Independence. She then read the Gettysburg Address. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Dominick Lizzi, Valatie Village Historian and retired high school social studies teacher, discussed the Emancipation Proclamation and how the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution reinforced the equality envisioned by Abraham Lincoln. Especially interesting to the young people was his reference to Valatie's part in the Civil War.

We are planning several events to incorporate use of the Bookshelf and to reflect on the theme, “Created Equal.” Among these will be youth discussion groups, a school-wide poster contest and an international function.

The We the People Bookshelf will be on special display throughout the year in the library. We invite all to see it and borrow these books.