Experience the stories of faculty, staff, and students from the World War I Illinois State Normal University (ISNU) Service Records collection provided by the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives and digitized at the ISU Digitization Center.
ISNU’s first librarian Angeline Vernon Milner (1856-1928) was tasked with sending surveys to every student, faculty, and staff to describe their experience in the service. With student Kenneth Pringle and community assistants, she collected photos, newspaper clippings, letters, and more for 802 individuals, with 682 of those files for each person remaining today.
The exhibit Over There was created using these primary sources and ArcGIS StoryMaps. The project walks readers through different topics about the war and highlights how the lives of ISNU service men and women intersected with the greater war effort. The exhibit site includes six sections that cover diverse populations, disease, combat, and other narratives. Applying digital humanities tools with letters, photos, postcards, and more from the ISNU service members’ files, the exhibit showcases illustrative essays, a timeline, and map visualizations featuring data generated for the digital collection. The digital exhibit is an ongoing project that will feature additional stories in the future.