This year Kent State opened its new May 4 Visitor's Center on the first floor of Taylor Hall facing the university commons, a location central to events of that tragic day.
     The stated mission of the Center is to "bring alive the history...in a compelling and meaningful way" and to put the events in their proper social and historical context.
     The museum features high-quality graphic displays, artifacts, insightful quotes from participants and contemporaries that reflect a balance of all perspectives, and a short documentary built around authentic footage of the event as it happened.
     The Center consists of a display corridor that runs approximately 50 feet in length in a U shape that surrounds a central theater.
     A visit to the Center can be expected to last 30 minutes or less, but could take longer as a result of all the archived interviews and speeches at the listening stations.
     Admission is free and the center is open to the general public with photography permitted.
     The experience can be augmented by taking a virtually guided walking tour of the site around the commons and Taylor Hall.  The documentary for this guided tour is available at may4.kent.edu or in an audio-only version via phone at 330-672-MAY4.