Hear What People Say about brookens library
Testimonial
Brian Gillis
Previous faculty, UIS Visual Arts
Brian Gillis, Visual Arts professor at UIS, tells stories 
with his art. To help people take a hard look at the Springfield race riots of 1908, he dreams of creating a time capsule archiving oral histories collected in the ‘70’s from people who actually lived through the riots. Visitors will be able to enter the interactive time capsule, prominently displayed at Brookens Library, and listen to the oral histories.
“We tend to sweep things like the race riots under the rug so that we can avoid talking about them,” Brian says. “Libraries keep us from doing that.” He hopes the tapes will start a dialog about all forms of social inequities.
“Libraries are the receptacles of society, its story keepers. Because we are literate, during a lapse in oral history or living history, libraries make sure things don’t get forgotten— whether that thing is a recipe for marshmallows or something as significant as the Springfield race riots of 1908.”
Testimonial
Robert C. Spencer
Founding president of Sangamon State University
On the occasion of Brookens Library Dedication, May 19, 1976
“In our concern for literacy we are placing the library in the center of things—as a resource for the entire curriculum—for all students—and for a wide variety of learning experiences and modes….making the library a challenging and exciting world for discovery, for study, and for reflection.”
