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The Newsletter of the Dialogue: Oral History Section Volume 4, Issue 1 February 2008 Society of American Archivists FROM THE CHAIR Lauren Kata, Independent Archivist and Oral Historian The Studs Terkel Center for Oral History,” an OH- Section-endorsed program featuring legendary Happy 2008, colleagues! I am oral historian and author Studs Terkel as a panelist. both excited and privileged to The session was filled to capacity with over 100 be working with the Oral attendees, who were likely lured to hear the 95- History Section as Chair for the year-old “Father of Oral History” speak his mind. 2007-2008 term. Already, we He was definitely well received. The session have much to report. Not only was also notable in featuring ALA Past President did this new term begin with a Michael Gorman, who called for a renewed fantastic gathering in Chicago, but also, with collaboration between librarians and archivists proposed changes to federal government policy in working toward long term digital preservation regarding oral history research, as well as recent issues. Congratulations and thanks to panelists news of a significant oral history legal ruling. and those involved in putting together the session. Kudos also to Fred Calabretta, whose OH- With a successful meeting in Chicago, featuring Section-endorsed workshop “Using Oral Histories: incredible workshops, presentations and engaging Publications, Exhibits, Internet” received much audiences, once again we archivists who focus positive feedback. on and are interested in oral history shared many accomplishments. One especially notable Our 2007 OH Section meeting took place Friday, accomplishment from the annual meeting was the August 31, and was productive, well-attended and success of Session 101 - “Free Speech, Free Spirt: thought provoking. 60 attendees elected a new continued on next page IN THIS ISSUE ORAL HISTORY SPOTLIGHT A Place for Homeless Voices: The Role of Oral History in Ending Homelessness ............................................................ 3-4 ORAL HISTORY CALENDAR Oral History Programs in our Public Libraries: Presenting and Preserving our Local Heritage ...................................... 5 Advanced Oral History Project Management .................................................................................................................................. 5 An Era of Challenges and Opportunities for the Next Generation of Oral History Education ...................... 6 Telling Their Stories: Producing Web-Based Digital Video Interviews ..................................................................................... 7 ORAL HISTORY NEWS University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) Archives to Digitize the UIS Oral History Collection ....................................... 8 Documenting Political Lives Through Oral History: A Program of South Carolina Political Collections ..................... 8 OH Milestones at the Billy Graham Center Archives ................................................................................................................9-10 Shenandoah Valley Oral History Project Website .........................................................................................................................10 Atomic Research Oral Histories in the Iowa State University Library, University Archives ............................................10 SAA ORAL HISTORY SECTION INFORMATION 2007-2008 Steering Committee Members ......................................................................................................................................11 Announcement: Alan Stein Wins SAA Spotlight Award .............................................................................................................11 FROM THE CHAIR (continued) Vice-Chair/Chair Elect - Al Stein - as well as two new The OH Section Steering Committee submitted Steering Committee members - Jennifer Eidson recommendations to SAA Council via SAA President and Bonnie Gurewitsch. Outgoing Chair Debbie Mark Greene on December 17, as the deadline for Whalen also announced the updating of the OH submitting comments to HHS was December 26. Section description in the SAA Council Handbook. He indicated that Council will also visit the issue The description now includes language from the during their February meeting. purpose stated in our bylaws: “Persons interested in the administration and use of oral history For ongoing news and commentary about interviews in the archival setting. Includes those institutional review board oversight of the who conduct oral history interviews and those humanities and social sciences, including who teach oral history methodology.” Our main analysis of comments received by OHRP, refer program included presentations by Mark Cave from to Professor Zachary Shrag’s blog: http:// the Historic New Orleans Collection and Stephen institutionalreviewblog.blogspot.com/. Sloan from the University of Southern Mississippi, who discussed oral history documenting of Gulf Finally, also in December, SAA reported on an Coast hurricane aftermaths, both Katrina and important legal ruling regarding defamation and Camille. This was followed by presentations on the oral history. In the case of Hebrew Academy of interviewer/interviewee relationship and context San Francisco v. Goldman, the California Supreme issues with doing oral history, given by Nancy Court reversed an earlier opinion concerning oral Freeman of the National Wildlife Research Center histories found in the Bancroft Library at University and Janet Bishop of Colorado State University. of California, Berkeley. More information about Special thanks to our program participants, and all the details of the case and its impact may be found those who volunteered their service to the Section. on the SAA website www.archivists.org, but one important outcome is that the case raises “the In December, those who deal with oral history possibility that for at least one year, oral history in colleges and universities were once again programs may have to take editorial responsibility called to revisit issues surrounding oral history for the statements that are included in oral and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). The U.S. histories.” Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), whose OHRP office oversees policy regulations Our goal for 2008 is to produce 4 newsletters, related to the protection of human subjects in February, May, August and November. Please in research, requested written comments on a consider sending us your project updates, news proposed amendment to these policies, specifically, items, announcements, essays, Q&As or other the categories of research that may be reviewed by types of articles. Communicating with each other an IRB through an expedited review procedure. In is also possible using the SAA Oral History Section November 2006, the Chronicle of Higher Education listserv/forum. Click this link to log into the SAA sponsored an online colloquy on oral history and Oral History Section Discussion List forum with IRB, which provides an interesting overview of the your email address and your Society of American debate regarding the issue, as well as personal Archivists password at: experiences - positive and negative - from those http://forums.archivists.org/read/?forum=oralhistory. who have dealt with IRBs first hand. The transcript of that colloquy may be found online here: http://chronicle.com/live/2006/11/townsend/. Dialogue February 008 ORAL HISTORY SPOTLIGHT A Place for Homeless Voices: The Role of and demonstrated a scene in personal story Oral History in Ending Homelessness telling. Instead of “a shared authority” (explored in depth at Portland) this panel of eloquent “poverty A panel report from Alan H. Stein and Daniel Kerr scholars” shifted the focus back to the narrator-as- focusing on session #82 at the 2007 Annual Meeting of author, calling upon their own interviewing skills to the Oral History Association document their social history. In this scenario power sharing is the norm, the narrator is the authority, Submitted by Alan Stein and the storyteller creates a product for media publication. Homelessness is recognized as a pervasive problem and certainly oral history has played a part in At the core of POOR’s innovative programming and documenting the nation’s homeless epidemic, curriculum (for low and no-income youth and adults) which has been described as an emerging crisis ever is the Race, Poverty, and Media Justice Institute, since the federal government made massive cuts to offering programs in digital media, creative writing, housing programs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. and on-line/print media production. The Poor From 1996 to 2002, using audio, video, and radio News Network produces monthly broadcasts on interviews, the Cleveland Homeless Oral History KPFA, Pacifica Radio, and an online magazine(www. Project (CHOHP) developed a collaborative analysis poormagzine.org). of homelessness from the bottom up. Designed to overcome problems with traditional academic Is there a democratic process by which unhoused research on homelessness, CHOHP shared research people select POOR Magazine to be the mediators with those living on the streets and in the shelters between themselves and academics? Academics in Cleveland, Ohio, involving homeless people in do need to be more self-critical when engaging in the process of analysis. (See: The Oral History Review, this research and to think carefully about what ends Winter-Spring 2003 v30 i1 p27(19.) their research