{"id":3364,"date":"2020-10-19T14:24:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T14:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/?p=3364"},"modified":"2020-10-19T14:25:08","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T14:25:08","slug":"celebrate-archives-month-with-oral-history-collections-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/2020\/10\/19\/celebrate-archives-month-with-oral-history-collections-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate Archives Month with Oral History Collections Online"},"content":{"rendered":"

This October UB Special Collections & Archives is celebrating American Archives Month. You can celebrate too by exploring our oral history collections and our digital exhibits online.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/p>\n

Archives provide us with a window into the records and raw data of the past. Through analysis of the diaries, correspondence, meeting records, photographs, film footage, artifacts, memorabilia, and other primary sources, we can become detectives as we gather and analyze information.<\/p>\n

Photographs, audio and visual recordings provide special glimpses into history by giving our senses another way to engage with records. We can\u00a0see<\/em> <\/strong>and\u00a0hear<\/em> <\/strong>history’s evidence for ourselves.<\/p>\n

What is Oral History:\u00a0<\/strong>According to the\u00a0Society of American Archivists’\u00a0Dictionary of Archives Terminology<\/a>:<\/em>\u00a0Oral History<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is an audio and\/or video recording of\u00a0an individual’s history and memories of past events.\u00a0Oral histories can also include interview transcripts and other documentation related to the oral history projects.\u00a0<\/span>They may be formatted as a recording of an individual’s unstructured memories or family stories, or they may be structured interviews between an individual (the interviewee) and an oral historian or interviewer.<\/p>\n

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What Oral History Can Do:\u00a0<\/strong>Oral histories\u00a0provide a spoken firsthand account from a participant or witness of a particular event or time period. They are one of the oldest methods of documenting history.\u00a0Oral history interviews provide us with an opportunity to learn about the past from the people who lived it in their own words.<\/p>\n

Personal history shared through the documentation of individual papers, artifacts, photographs, or oral history interviews is different than a secondary resource like a textbook or journal article. Oral history interviews are personal recollections of past events and experiences that are unique to the individuals being interviewed. By analyzing these interviews, we can better understand larger social contexts and individual experiences and perspectives within them when studying events in history. We can also learn about the identities, personalities, and struggles of others by hearing their voices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Use<\/strong> Oral History Collections at UB Special Collections & Archives<\/strong><\/a> to Learn About:<\/strong><\/p>\n