“Every family has stories, but not everybody tells theirs. If a local library has its way, it won’t be for lack of opportunity. The East Baton Rouge Parish Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library held its first Family Legacy Recordings event in September, an effort to get people to preserve aspects of their family histories for their future generations — and, if they like, share it with the public at large. Those who sign up can use Bluebonnet’s equipment to record their stories on a USB flash drive they can take home.” Story about libraries doing oral histories. Would be good to see that here. Read full story here.
Blog
How We Used to Shop
Mick Fitzpatrick was an iceman who delivered the ice right into your kitchen. “I would get up about 3am, go down to Gallagher’s fuel and coal place in McNamara Lane to the stables to harness the horse to the cart. We’d load the ice into hessian bags and set off on our delivery route all over town. People never locked their doors in those days so we were able to go into the kitchen, deliver the ice and collect the money from on top of the chest without waking them,” he explained. For full story click here.
Social Documentary Pioneer, Olive Shapley
The latest release of material from the BBC’s Oral History collection shines a light on Olive Shapley, one of Manchester’s key figures and a pioneer of social documentary in the North from the 1930s. For full story click here.
Israel Story Podcasts
News stories about Israel often involve conflict—missile attacks, tension between secular and religious Jews—or tech startups and innovation incubators. While there is a definite thirst for information about Israel among U.S. Jews, there is only so much depressing news consumers can handle. Tech is great, but how exciting is the development of the USB port? That’s where Israel Story comes in. The popular, growing podcast is about the people of Israel, and their unique characteristics. Hannah Barg, 27, is a St. Louis native and an Israel Story producer. The Solomon Schechter Day School alum is now doing what she loves—mainly, storytelling. See full story here.
Veterans’ Affairs Oral History Project
David Watt was working in a menswear store in Palmerin St, Warwick when he was called up to serve in World War II. He was 18 years old and, like the rest of his mates, thought the whole affair would be over in a couple of months. Mr Watt’s personal account of his time at war will be added to hundreds of other veterans’ stories as part of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Oral History Project. For full story click here.
The Birth of NASA
The origins of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration can be traced all the way back to the Wright brothers, but the real story happened over less than a year. Read the story and watch videos here.
Ethnographic Refusal
“Historians must think through the ramifications of what they write, the stories they use as evidence, how those stories will be perceived, and the effects of their work on research participants.” Read this very interesting article by author Noah Riseman, Lecturer in History at Australian Catholic University here.
Leper Colony on Peel Island
It was a shattering diagnosis – that turned out to be wrong. Yet this young mother spent 12 harrowing years in isolation on Peel Island leper colony. Read full story and listen to interview excerpt from interview with Phyllis Ebbage here.
Cannibal Island
Every year, a small group of locals travels the 550 kilometers northwest from this Siberian city to Nazinsky Island, in the middle of the Ob River, to place a wreath at the foot of a wooden cross. It is a gesture of remembrance for the victims of the horrific events that unfolded there in the summer of 1933. For full story click here.
Connecting with Australia’s First Peoples
Moving from Alice Springs to Melbourne to attend university, Rona Glynn-McDonald, a proud Kaytetye woman, was astounded to find how little people local people knew about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. For full story click here.