USA Libraries and Office of Community Engagement to Host Civic Community Roundtable
Posted on April 17, 2026
The University of South Alabama’s Libraries and the USA Office of Community Engagement will host a community roundtable and exhibit reception, Building Our More Perfect Union: Mobile Civic Leaders in Action, on Thursday, April 23, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marx Library Rodning Gallery on the third floor. This event, which is in celebration of the upcoming 250 years of America’s independence, is free and open to the public.
This event was created to bring people together in conversation and dialogue, where they can be inspired to envision a shared responsibility for tackling issues and problems.
“The USA collections are full of examples of this kind of civic engagement,” said Deborah Gurt, director and associate librarian of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library. “And, America’s semiquincentennial allows us to highlight and remind ourselves of the promise, which is embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.”
The guest speakers on the panel will be Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, Attorney Lawrence Voit, and Research Scientist Cassie Bates. The moderator will be Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Director of Community Oral History Collections Dr. Ryan Morini.
