The University of New Hampshire’s Dimond Library commemorated the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with “UNH Remembers September 11, 2001,” an exhibit that ran throughout the month, featuring archival materials that showcase the event’s impact on the UNH community.
“These materials are from archives composed of periodicals, photographs, and objects that were created during the campus response to 9/11,” said University Archivist Kai Uchida, who helped bring many of the past archives to the exhibit. “They were chosen because they demonstrate the distinct ways that the community responded to this tragic event, and particularly centers on the responses of students in the wake of losing faculty and alumni with close ties to campus.”
“The exhibit is about the impact of the 9/11 attacks on UNH and the UNH community’s response,” said Mairead Small Staid, Communications Manager for Dimond Library, who coordinated the installation and promotion of the exhibit. “Four members of the UNH community were killed on 9/11, and the exhibit creates a space to memorialize them along with the many others lost.”
“The exhibit is part of a larger effort, led by Jenna Riley, to bring 9/11Day to the UNH Campus,” said Staid. “9/11 Day is a nationwide movement to commemorate the Sept. 11 attacks with a day of service—at UNH, students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to contribute to a Red Cross blood drive on Thursday and continue to have the opportunity to make donations to Cats' Cupboard, to alleviate hunger in our community.”
While photographs and news articles pulled from the University Archives make up a majority of the exhibit, the collection features a unique item: The 9/11 Quilt of Remembrance.
“Although it is too delicate for physical display, the Library’s Exhibits Committee found a creative way to share it with visitors through a multimedia slideshow, making the inscribed messages on the quilt visible to all,” said Jenna Riley, Operations Manager at UNH Career and Professional Success (CAPS), who conceived of the exhibit and decided on each of the components. This is the first year of the exhibit at the UNH library.
“Part of the UNH library's mission is to connect all, to embody the values of our campus community, and to offer vibrant community spaces to support the public good. Our exhibits serve that mission, providing opportunities for engagement and reflection to anyone who passes through our doors. By including ‘UNH Remembers September 11, 2001’ in the library, we unite information—the historical record available through our University Archives—with communion, giving visitors a space in which to come together, remember, mourn, and act,” Staid said.
The exhibit also featured a "Kindness Board” that allowed students to write words of kindness on a board in hopes of spreading love and positivity.
"With everything going on right now, we need more love and empathy for humans in general. When a lot of these tragedies happen, we can get really divided and point fingers. But really, this should be a time where we should be getting together and realizing what makes us human,” said Trinity Sfeir, a sophomore analytical economics major, who took a moment to write a message on the board while admiring the exhibit.
Kimberly Burke Sweetman, Dean of UNH Library, lived and worked in Southern Manhattan in 2001 and witnessed the Sept. 11 attacks. “I am proud of the sensitivity of the small exhibit at the UNH Library and feel like it has helped a little bit in my healing,” said Sweetman.
Many hope that UNH will participate in 9/11 Remembrance Day next year, and the library would be proud to contribute.
“I hope visitors to the exhibit will be inspired to take small, simple, personal actions like making a donation or volunteering their time to improve the lives of others and strengthen our sense of community in these polarized times,” Staid said.
More information about the exhibit can be found on the UNH library’s website, as well as https://unhmagazine.unh.edu/f02/sept_11.html.
