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Pritzker Military Museum & Library facts for kids
| Pritzker Military Museum & Library | |
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| Country | United States |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Scope | Military history, military science |
| Established | 2003 |
| Location | 104 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603 |
| Coordinates | 41°52′50″N 87°37′30″W / 41.88056°N 87.62500°W |
| Collection | |
| Size | 67,000 volumes, plus other material |
| Other information | |
| Budget | US$4,762,922 (2017) |
| Staff | 22 |
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is a special place in Chicago, Illinois. It is both a museum and a research library. This means it has many items and books for people to study.
The museum and library focuses on military history. It helps people learn about soldiers and wars throughout time. It was started in 2003 and is located on Michigan Avenue.
Contents
History of the Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Library began in 2003. It was founded by Jennifer Pritzker, who was a retired soldier. She wanted a place to study "the citizen soldier." This idea means that ordinary citizens can serve their country, like soldiers. This is important for keeping a country free.
The library first opened in the Streeterville neighborhood. Later, it moved to its current home on Michigan Avenue in the Loop. The museum and library is a non-profit organization. This means it relies on donations and members to keep running.
In 2022, Krewasky Salter became the president and CEO.
What You Can Find: Collections
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library has a huge collection. It includes over 115,000 items! There are more than 70,000 books. You can also find videos, artwork, and posters.
The collection has rare military items. There are over 9,000 photos and glass negatives. These pictures show events from the American Civil War to today. You can also read letters and journals from American soldiers. There is a large section about Winston Churchill. Sam Gevirtz, a soldier from World War II, gave his diaries to the museum.
How to Access the Collections
The collection is open for everyone to visit. If you want to borrow books, you need to become a member. The library also works with other libraries. This means you might be able to borrow their materials through your local library.
Special Collections
The library has a special collection of rare books. These books cannot be borrowed. You can read them in a special room. Some of these books are very old, from the 1600s and 1700s.
The museum also has many named collections. These are groups of books and papers given by different people. For example, there are collections about World War II aviation and the United States Marine Corps. There is also a collection of World War I and World War II sheet music.
Programs and Events
The Museum & Library offers many programs. These programs help people learn more about military history.
Pritzker Military Presents
Pritzker Military Presents is a TV show. It covers many topics in military history. The show features film screenings and talks by authors. There are also discussions with military officers and historians.
Famous people have been interviewed on the show. These include Medal of Honor winners and retired military leaders. Authors like Doris Kearns Goodwin have also visited. You can watch these programs online. They are also shown on Chicago's PBS channel, WTTW.
Citizen Soldier
The Museum & Library also creates a show called Citizen Soldier. Each episode starts as a live discussion or interview. These events happen at the museum.
The discussions are then edited into a 26-minute TV episode. This show is also broadcast on WTTW. You can watch past seasons on the museum's website.
Other Programs
The Holt Oral History Program collects stories from US military veterans. You can listen to these stories as podcasts. The full interviews are available online. The museum wants to give veterans a safe place to share their war experiences.
The museum also hosts special events. These include ceremonies for new soldiers and new citizens.
Exhibitions and Art
The Museum & Library often hosts art exhibitions. They have shown works by artists like Steve Mumford and James Dietz. Other exhibits have focused on different topics. For example, there was an exhibit about training comics from World War II. Another showed women's service groups in World War II.
In 2014, they showed photos by Stephanie Freid-Perenchio. Her work showed Navy SEALs training in Afghanistan. The exhibit also included real uniforms and equipment. In 2019, the museum had a D-Day+75 exhibition. This marked 75 years since the D-Day invasion in Normandy. It featured images, letters, and videos from veterans.
Awards for Military Writing
Since 2007, the Museum & Library has given an annual award. It is called the Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. This award honors writers who have spent their lives writing about military history.
The award includes a $100,000 prize. It is given by the Tawani Foundation.
Award Winners
- 2007: James M. McPherson
- 2008: Allan R. Millett
- 2009: Gerhard Weinberg
- 2010: Rick Atkinson
- 2011: Carlo D'Este
- 2012: Sir Max Hastings
- 2013: Tim O'Brien
- 2014: Antony Beevor
- 2015: David Hackett Fischer
- 2016: Hew Strachan
- 2017: Peter Paret
- 2018: Dennis Showalter
- 2019: John H. Morrow Jr.
- 2020: David Glantz
- 2021: Margaret MacMillan
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Militar Pritzker para niños
- C. C. Beall – some works in collection
- Bill Mauldin – many of his works in collection