SAMPLE LETTER TO COMMUNITY GROUPS

(NOTE: In mailings to the media and community groups, include announcements, flyers and brochures of library programs related to the exhibition. Letters to the media should also include press kits, offer assistance in developing stories, and include a library contact.)

(DATE)

Dear Library Friend: (PERSONALIZE GREETING WHENEVER POSSIBLE)

The (NAME OF LIBRARY) is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” on (DATE). The library is one of only 63 libraries in the United States selected to host the traveling exhibition, which was organized by The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office.

“Forever Free” is made possible by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. It is based on original documents about Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, abolition, and the Emancipation Proclamation in the collections of the Huntington Library and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

“Forever Free” examines Abraham Lincoln’s quest to restore a Union divided by Civil War and shows how his beliefs about freeing the slaves were transformed by war-time developments. From the beginning of the Civil War until his death, Lincoln evolved from a cautious moderate who was willing to see slavery continue for several decades in order to preserve the Union, to the “Great Emancipator,” who emphatically put an end to slavery in the United States. The exhibition explores the reasons for this change.

We would like to invite you to a special preview of the exhibition on (DAY, DATE) at (TIME) at the library (OR PARTICULAR LOCATION IN LIBRARY). (NAME) will be the guest speaker. A news release included with this correspondence provides additional details. Please contact me at (TELEPHONE, E-MAIL) if you have questions.

We hope you can join us as we introduce this exciting exhibition to our community.

Sincerely,

(NAME)