This week marked a huge milestone for the Claude Pepper Library where I work as an archivist: we got a Facebook page!
I’m sure you’re impressed. *waits* No really, you are impressed, right?
I know, a Facebook page is something everyone an their dog/cat/racoon got last year. However, with bureaucratic institutions such as Florida State University, these things can take time and finessing. (The library supervisor, Robert Robero, has been planning this for six months. What does that tell you?)
I have been really saddened by how little notice the library gets; it’s an impressive archive of the former Florida Senator’s whole life, which spanned nearly the entirety of the 20th Century. We not only have a great reading room but a large and educational museum dedicated to Claude Pepper. This isn’t overkill by any stretch: Pepper is the most important politicians in Florida’s history whom you’ve never heard of.
But these days, an honorable life dedicated to public service during the critical years of a state’s development isn’t enough. You gotta have a Facebook page.
We are using it to promote events and as a forum for educating people about this fairly amazing man. There will be photos, quotes, and outtakes from Pepper’s personal journal. It’s a grow-as-you-go thing, so if you have suggestions, please offer them up! And please, “like” our page. Claude Pepper deserves it.
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