"Good night, John-Boy." If those words mean nothing to you, you're probably under 40. If they do, you're probably a boomer, to whom they are unforgettable, bound to bring back visions of a better time and a better place, an era, in the words Thursday of one fan of The Waltons, when "family was so much more appreciated." That era, however, wouldn't be the '60s or the '70s. The setting of The Waltons, from which "Good night, John-Boy" derived fame, belongs to the Depression, where it was set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, just below the "taller ridges … rimmed with a fading autumn silver," as Earl Hamner Jr wrote in his semi-autobiographical novel Spencer's Mountain, from which The Waltons was based. For full story click here.
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Oral History of HIV in Cuba
President Obama’s visit to Cuba this week has highlighted the fading of U.S.-Cuba alienation — but also the deep and lingering differences between the two countries, on issues from freedom of speech to free health care. Here, reporter Rebecca Sananes shares a chapter of medical history in which Cuba chose a policy diametrically opposite to America’s: Back in the 1990s, Cuba created a network of sanitariums, where people with HIV were confined indefinitely. It sounds barbaric, but as former patient Eduardo Martinez’s recollections reveal, it’s complicated. Life in the sanitariums was so much better than outside that some people purposely infected themselves with HIV. See full story here.
Mapping Oral History
Oral history has always been concerned with preserving the voices of the voiceless, and new technologies are enabling oral historians to preserve and present these memories in new and exciting ways. Audio projects can now turn to mapping software to connect oral histories with physical locations, bringing together voices and places. Read more here.
New Oral History Room (USA)
Technology has transformed genealogy research, so the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center has remodeled some of its space to build on those advances. This Thursday, the Genealogy Center, which is located in the downtown library, will hold a grand opening for its new Discovery Center and new Life Stories Center.
This is an interesting article although it is in USA. We can learn from what has been done here. Read whole article here.
Exhibiting Oral History
This paper, originally presented at the 2015 National Conference on Public History, is republished here with an interactive poll and an invitation to share your thoughts on exhibiting oral history. Read more here.
The Importance of Oral History
For Utah Humanities Council Grant and Outreach Program Officer Jodi Graham, one of the best parts about history is learning it from the view of those who have lived it — and oral histories are the gateway into giving history its character. “I just love finding all these stories,” Graham said. “When you talk to people who lived through a certain time period, you’ll find nuggets of history that might not have been uncovered otherwise. It makes everything more personal.” For full story click here. This story could apply to any community.
Sarawak Oral History
The oral land laws of the Dayak and Orang Ulu indigenous communities have been compiled into a book to make sure their rich ancestral traditions and way of life will not become forgotten. The pionerring effort was carried out by the Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak (Scrips), a community-based organistion. It is a noble move by the society which has more than 30 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups. The book, entitled “Our communal territories, our communal rights”, is in Bahasa Malaysia and compiled by Scrips secretary Michael Jok and community chief ex-Temenggong Pahang Deng. For full story click here.
Southern Oral History Program
In our pilot episode we discuss silence and power in oral history. Can oral history teach us to be better listeners? Can we learn how to pay attention–not just to what is being said, but to what isn’t? We’ll talk with Southern Oral History Program founding Director Jacquelyn Dowd Hall about a 1974 interview with Katherine DuPre Lumpkin that is shot through with silences; you’ll get tips on how to handle it a question you ask leads to a long silence; and we’ll hear clips from our collection in which three different women talk about the relationship between silence and their own activism. For full story including podcasts click here. Also click here for second episode.
RIP Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell
Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell passed away on February 4th, on the eve of the 45th anniversary of his mission to the moon. The Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14, he was the 6th astronaut to step foot on the moon. He was 85. Read the full article here. There is a link on the page to the transcript of an oral history done with Mitchell here.
Easter Rising Oral History Project
There was standing room only in the basement of the National Library of Ireland for the launch of The 1916 Rising Oral History Collection. Not since 1966 have so many relatives of those who fought in the Easter Rising gathered under the same roof. For full story click here.