NEW YORK, NY (February 4, 2008)—The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History today announced it is offering free downloadable audio and video lectures through iTunes U, the educational section of the iTunes store. The Gilder Lehrman page enables visitors to iTunes U to see and hear eminent historians discuss topics such as Lincoln and the Civil War, American Presidents, Slavery and Abolition, and the Great Depression and World War II.

“This new technology will enable us to reach so many people,” said Lesley Herrmann, Executive Director of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. “It is thrilling to be able to give the public free access to cutting-edge historical scholarship.”

The most popular downloads since the January 29 launch are: Jonathan Alter and Alan Brinkley discussing FDR’s first hundred days, David Blight on the Civil War and memory, Jean Strouse on J.P. Morgan, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., on The Bondswoman’s Narrative.

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools and academic research centers, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives. The Institute maintains two websites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
www.gilderlehrman.org