| Your grandfather
served in World War II. Your neighbor was a Vietnam veteran.
Your "old aunt" remembers using lye to make soap
in the back yard. Have you ever asked them about their experiences?
Have you ever wondered what they remember about these adventures?
Here is your chance.
History is much more than remembering facts. History is all
around us. It's in our families and in our communities. Doing
an oral history project allows you to probe the memories of
older people -- to ask them to tell you stories about their
experiences. It allows you "to become a producer of
historical knowledge, rather than a passive absorber of historical
information." (Glen Whitman, http://www.doingoralhistory.org/)
Oral history records the feelings and impressions of a variety
of people and gives a vivid picture of our past. It is a 'living
history' of our family and our community.
- The vehicle for recording
the past is to record interviews with this irreplaceable
first hand information.
- These interviews provide
a shared history and the opportunity to have face-to-face
conversations about history.
- Interviews are then
put into a form that is available to yourself and
others.
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