Visitors to the "Forever Free" exhibit at the Cranberry Library have been writing their reactions to it in at least two languages.

"Well done," "Impressive," "Very informative" and "Awesome" are among the comments in English about the display, which is subtitled "Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation."

"All the people of the world have a vital need for liberty," a visitor named Ammur Boughanmi wrote in French. "Let us remember that always."

Pat DiFiore, Cranberry's adult services librarian, said community response to the traveling exhibit has been warm. Free programs related to the display have drawn audiences of up to 100 people, she said. Topics have included Pennsylvania's role in the Underground Railroad, which secretly transported escaped slaves north, and the exploits of Belle Boyd, a Confederate spy during the Civil War.

Ms. DiFiore prepared the application that brought the show to Cranberry.

"Forever Free" is a joint project of the American Library Association, The Huntington Library and Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. It is traveling to 63 libraries around the country.

The display is composed of 8-foot-tall panels that contain dozens of photographs, copies of letters and reproductions of 18th-century books, pamphlets and newspapers.

The images present a history of slavery in the United States, describe the course of the Civil War and examine Lincoln's changing attitude toward slavery.

When Lincoln was elected president in 1860, he sought to limit the spread of slavery, not outlaw it, visitors learn. Even after Southern states seceded, Lincoln emphasized that his goal was to preserve the union.

While Lincoln made clear his personal belief that slavery was morally wrong, he overturned emancipation orders from Union generals several times during the first years of the Civil War.

It wasn't until September 1862, after the Union victory at Antietam, that he announced a plan to free slaves throughout the Confederacy. His Emancipation Proclamation took effect in January 1863.

Images from cartoons and pamphlets published by his Northern opponents made clear how unpopular Lincoln's decision was. On the cover of one book, Lincoln is portrayed as a black king, Abraham Africanus I.

It wasn't until 1865 that both houses of Congress approved and sent to the states for ratification a Constitutional amendment that banned slavery throughout the country.

One panel quotes Lincoln in a March 22, 1864, letter making a common-sense argument against what was called the "peculiar institution:" "I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself."

Cranberry is one of six libraries in Pennsylvania to host the exhibit, which is touring just before the start of major commemorations linked to the Civil War era.

Next year will be the 200th anniversary of the birth of Lincoln; 2010, the 150th anniversary of his election as president; and 2011, the same anniversary for the start of the War between the States.

The exhibit will remain in the library's meeting room through Sept. 19, and several related events remain on the schedule. The library is in the Cranberry Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road, and programs are being offered in several locations in the complex:

• Wednesday at 7 p.m. in council chambers. "The Role of the Brass Band during the Civil War," featuring Ted Cramer, of Cranberry, a member of the Wildcat Regiment Band.

• Saturday at 11 a.m. in council chambers. "Civil War Footlockers," featuring items from the collection of the Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

• Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., children's room of the library, games and activities.

• Sept. 10, 7 p.m. in council chambers. "Lincoln as an Effective Politicians," a talk by University of Pittsburgh professor Van Beck Hall.

• Sept. 11, 7 p.m., senior-teen center. "Pittsburgh during the Civil War," a talk by author Arthur Fox.

• Sept. 15, 7 p.m., council chambers. "Works of Robert Knox Sneden," a slide show by Bob Gorczyca. Mr. Gorczyca, a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Roundtable, will talk about the Union Army painter and map maker.

All programs are free. People interested in attending are asked to register by calling the library at 724-776-9100.