Oral History

I don't know quite how to explain why I think this is so cool. Its called StoryCorps and its an initiative to support people in doing oral history with their friends and family. You just go to their booth in Grand Central Station in New York City and conduct an interview with someone who you believe has an important story to tell. They are going to be setting up other booths across the country and you can also conduct the interview at home and send them the tape. They send you a cd with the interview and then include the interview in the StoryCorps Archive at the Library of Congress. They charge ten bucks for it, which seems to be well worth it as they assist with facilitating the interviews and provide broadcast quality equipment.

For anyone who has ever spent any time reading primary source historical material, or books that rely on it, you know how oral history serves to validate, challenge, and enrich our understanding of what has gone before us. The idea that anyone can make a contribution to the resources available to historians and social scienctists for years to come is very exciting.