Eberly library is a hotspot for many. Whether it be for class, books or the computer lab, it has a little bit for everyone on campus. Recently the library’s staff and students have started new projects after discovering part of Greene County’s history. Senior and library staff member Brendon Stead explained what exactly was found.

“The student library project is working on the Greene County Messenger, 1861-1865,” Stead said. “We located it in the Waynesburg University museum storage room. We moved the documents in the box from the storage room to the Trans-App room in the library.”

Director of Eberly Library, Rea Redd, explained what exactly the student library project is and what they are looking for inside these newly found documents.

“Our students will read and explore the Greene County Messenger newspaper’s civil war year and search for 15 terms related to the civil war soldiers,” Redd said. “Students will also look for any material relating to letters from home, African Americans, women, medicine, peace movements, civil crimes such as murder, support for the wars, among other subjects.”

Redd explained what the overarching goal of the project is, expressing what its like to see the culture at the time.

“The goal of the student library project is to describe the culture of society in Greene County,” Redd said. “This also includes Southwestern Pennsylvania during the American Civil War.”

Stead explained that the final product would be displayed in a myriad of different places.

“We will introduce it at several places,” Stead said. “The history club, history classes, Greene County Historical Society and Cornerstone Genealogical Society.”

Stead, a history major, is not the only student working on the student library project. The project involves others, such as Redd, senior public history major Elana Kubat, and chairperson for the Humanities Department and associate professor of history Dr. Karen Younger.

Redd explained that students can get involved in this project by helping shuffle through papers for information. 

“There are newspapers dated 1800s and 1990s,” Redd said. “These newspapers are located in the Waynesburg University museum and will be studied in the Trans-Appalachian room of Eberly Library.”

Stead conveyed his experience of working on this project and the library.

“I work on the top floor in the Trans-Appalachian Room,” Stead said. “Which is a seminar room which contains several hundreds year-old books of university history and Greene County history.” 

Stead continued, expressing his happiness with working at the library.

“I definitely enjoy working in the library and having fun working and researching a lot of history for my internship,” Stead said.