New Exhibit: In Their Footsteps: Exploring World War II Through Archival Records

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library will host a new exhibit, In Their Footsteps: Exploring World War II Through Archival Records, opening May 13th, 2025. Featured across the first, third, and fourth floors of the library, the exhibit aims to tell the story of the Second World War from an American perspective via photographs, records, diaries, oral histories, film, posters, and other artifacts. Through these materials, the voices of those who experienced the conflict are alive and remembered.

While the exhibit will undoubtedly feature the major battles and events of the war, such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Invasion of Normandy, or D-Day, portions of the exhibit will also be devoted to less-covered aspects and events. These include topics such as propaganda, rationing, life on the home front in Eastern North Carolina, the experience of minority service members, the internment of Japanese Americans, the Holocaust and its survivors, and the trials faced by prisoners of war. The stories of soldiers and sailors on the frontlines who served in the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps will be heavily featured through materials documenting action in the European and Pacific Theatres of War, while also highlighting the service of women and volunteers who served at home and abroad in WAVES, SPARs, and the American Red Cross. Over 100 physical and digital items from the East Carolina Manuscript Collection will be displayed, with over 600 additional items related to World War II featured in our Digital Collections repository.

In Their Footsteps, curated by Patrick Cash, Manuscripts Curator, and John Dunning, Digital Archivist, will be on display until December 2025. For more information about the exhibit or to arrange special tours, please email specialcollections@ecu.edu. Can’t wait until then? Check out our blog series Remembrance and Records: World War II Through Archival Collections.