The Vineyard Haven Public Library received a $3,000 grant from the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to host Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War, a five-part reading and discussion series. The library is one of 65 public libraries nationwide receiving grants to host the series which will encourage participants to consider the legacy of the Civil War and emancipation.

In addition to program funding, the library will receive copies of the following works: March by Geraldine Brooks, Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James McPherson, America’s War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries..

The two key leaders of the series are Betty Burton, program coordinator, and Dr. Sheldon Hackney, program scholar. Dr. Hackney is a noted historian and Boies Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania.