Libraries open doors for day of action

Three years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,

libraries across the United States took a day of mourning and

turned it into a day of action.

CSU’s Morgan Library participated in The September Project, a

project designed to use libraries to get students registered to

vote and become more educated about the government.

“I went to the American Library Association in Orlando in July

and they were handing out fliers,” said Cathy Cranston, a reference

librarian that helped bring the project to CSU. “It was an

invitation to use this day to celebrate democracy.”

Morgan Library is one of the many libraries that participated in

the event worldwide.

“The last time I checked there were around 450 libraries

participating in the country and there were eight participating

internationally,” Cranston said. “Libraries want to show that they

play an important role in society: they are places for people to

come and meet and talk, and people can come and get information

year round, no matter what party you are.”

The librarians were at a table to show students various Web

sites where they could get information on the election and the

issues involved.

Associated Students of CSU and the New Voters Project where also

present to register students to vote.

“ASCSU does voter registration every year, but this is the first

time we have partnered with the New Voters Project,” said Courtney

Stephens, a senior in political science and the ASCSU director of

Community Affairs.

The New Voters Project is a non-partisan grassroots organization

designed to register voters and encourage voting.

“It’s incredibly important that students vote this year. This is

literally history in the making. The number of 18-24 year olds who

vote has been declining ever since we won the right to vote. This

will be the first year it has increased,” said Erin Hickok, campus

organizer for the New Voters Project.

Working with the September Project at CSU is just one of the

things the New Voters Project is doing to get young people

registered.

“Housing the September Project will absolutely help students

become more aware of what is going on, especially with many of the

other projects we’re doing,” Hickok said.

While the number one goal is currently getting students

registered, that is not the only goal the September Project has

planned.

“First and foremost we want to get students to register and

follow through with voting, but we’re hoping to every year have

some kind of civic engagement on the 11th,” Cranston said. “We want

to remember what happened on this day and turn it into something

positive.”

 

“http://www.newvotersproject.org”>www.newvotersproject.org

“http://www.theseptemberproject.org”>www.theseptemberproject.org