Alum organizes library exhibit to honor Illinois campus veterans

[image5-right]To commemorate Veterans Day, Kevin McLaughlin (MS ’04) helped organize “Called to Serve: A History of Military Service at the University of Illinois,” a month-long exhibit at the University of Illinois Main Library. McLaughlin, a senior library specialist at the University Library and a veteran, wanted to create the exhibit to honor and support veterans on campus.

“I was a full-time staff member at the University, a part-time GSLIS student, and a Naval Reservist when I got a phone call ordering me to military service. I remember encountering difficulties trying to get my affairs in order before being mobilized,” he said. “Much has changed since then, and returning veterans now have resources available to them that I did not have after I got back.”

[image4-right]“Over the past couple of years, I had been reading articles about the increasing number of returning veterans who are enrolling in universities across the country, the challenges they face as they transition into the civilian world, and the volunteer work they are doing in their communities. I did the exhibit because I want to be an advocate for veterans, and I want to assist them in transitioning onto the University of Illinois campus,” McLaughlin said.

The exhibit features items from the University Library’s collections and archives as well as images, articles, and objects McLaughlin requested from organizations such as the Veterans Day National Committee and the United Service Organizations (USO). Student and community veterans, including McLaughlin, also contributed personal items to the exhibit. Accompanying the display is a 44-foot timeline, which highlights achievements from University veterans and the ties between the University and the United States military.

[image2-left]“I hope that people will take away from the exhibit that this is not the first time there has been an influx of veterans onto college campuses after the end of military operations,” McLaughlin said. “I also would like to let returning veterans know that there are resources available to them and people like them who can help them make the transition.”

[image1-right]The exhibit, a collaborative effort between the University of Illinois Library, Veteran Student Support Services, and Reserve Officer Training Corps, was created by McLaughlin, Assistant Marine Officer Instructor Michael Hnyla, Assistant Dean and Veteran Student Support Services Coordinator Nicholas Osborne, and with support from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s Public Programs Manager and Curatorial Specialist Dennis Sears (MS ’06). It will be open in the Main Library’s first-floor North-South Corridor until November 30, 2012.

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