The Oral History Section of the Society of American Archivists is composed of members of the Society and others who are interested in or are actively engaged in conducting oral history interviews and/or teach oral history methodology. The Oral History Section provides a forum for news, for discussion of issues and developments, and for establishing and maintaining communication and cooperation with other professional organizations.
News & Announcements
The Palos Verdes Library District’s (PVLD) oral history program started with the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and a desire to capture the voices of our own community’s forefathers. Since then, with changes in technology, we have seen an evolution in the way we record, archive and disseminate the voices of our community. A timeline of the PVLD oral history program illustrates how our program has evolved.
The Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) Oral History Project provides a window into the history of an institution that is considered by many a cultural icon in Los Angeles, and into Joan Benedetti's introduction to working with oral histories.
Read an interview with Oral History Section (OHS) Steering Committee Member Katie McCormick about her experience working with oral history collections and with OHS leadership. Will her story inspire you to get more involved with the Oral History Section? We hope so!
Nominations for the SAA Oral History Section Steering Committee are now open through Tuesday, May 22nd. We are looking for candidates for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, Steering Committee, and Newsletter Editor.
For the past twenty years, Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) has focused on preserving stories from a special group of individuals.In 1998, Go For Broke National Education Center recorded its first oral history interview with one of the Nisei World War II veterans. It was the first of what would be many interviews recorded through its Hanashi (“to talk” or “story” in Japanese) Oral History Program. Twenty years later, GFBNEC has recorded over 1,250 interviews with Nisei veterans of World War II and their contemporaries in the war effort.
The Japanese American Military History Collective (JAMHC) is a digital cooperative based on a partnership between the Japanese American Service Committee, Military Intelligence Service Veterans Club of Hawaii, Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, Go For Broke National Education Center and other partners. The goal of JAMHC is to increase access and visibility to resources related to the Japanese American World War II experience, with special emphasis on veterans of that conflict.
