Whenever I talk to groups about my work recording veterans oral histories, I usually share a story about Mr. Donald Myers, a WWII Marine officer who led his troops through some of the most horrific combat in the South Pacific islands. Think of those old black & white war films from the islands. Flame-throwers, bayonets, …
We often think of oral history projects as stodgy and boring, mere catalogs of dates, names, places, and self-important stories with little relevance to anyone else but the interviewee. To some extent, we can’t argue with this assessment. Too many oral histories are, in fact, unappealing, especially long-form interviews. In our experience, the net effect …
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, take a moment (12 minutes) to listen to an amazing emotional reunion between a Jewish father and son separated by the Nazis during WWII. Until this moment, each thought the other was dead. Listen, and you will witness a remarkable, deeply human moment almost beyond words–in fact, for a …
History often takes for granted the photographers, videographers, and audiographers who capture, preserve, and share history as it happens. Oftentimes, none of what we record is pretty or neatly conceived. But it is the job of the media historian to get the shot or sound clip. It’s then up to the rest of us to …
TSVP strongly encourages local historical societies and museums to engage history in real time by using digital media to document, preserve, interpret, and share what is happening in our communities–right now. Carpe diem! In our opinion, too many local history organizations are rear facing and fixated on a static past. We think these organizations can …
Read more “Public History Matters: Engage History In Real Time”
The Social Voice Project is mentioned in the chapter, “Oral History for the Twenty-First Century,” alongside StoryCorps (Library of Congress, National Public Radio) and the internationally acclaimed Memoro Project as a significant public history program that captures, preserves, and shares the voices and stories of our local communities. In reaction, we respond: “TSVP began as …
Read more “Public History Matters: Oral History for the Twenty-First Century”
Listen to the stories and voices of our time. What people know and care about history is in our hands. This is why our work matters as public historians. For many years it’s been my stock explanation that we oral historians “capture, preserve, and share” the stories and voices of our time. We do this, …
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