Museum exhibits, authors, and filmmakers interpret history for us, yet it is our personal history that seems to impact our world view the most. Family history, both the good and the bad, can influence the very shape of our identity, depending on how well we are able to remember it. On May 10th, the Library of Congress kicks off the first national Preservation Week for individuals with a free, public seminar on how to preserve family treasures, photographs, and memories. The seminar is called, Pass It On, Personal Archiving Day. Since most of us can’t take advantage of this onsite program, we can learn more about how to preserve family treasures and photographs through their resourceful website: http://www.loc.gov/preserv/familytreasures/index.html.

In addition to focusing on the preservation of objects, photographs and documents that make up a family’s personal archive, families can document the stories that make up the intricate web of family history through the recording of oral histories with family members. There are many website resources on how to do oral history interviews, however, as much as I like them, most are very academic.  So far, a favorite online resource on how to prepare for and record an oral history interview is maintained by StoryCorps. To see their “do-it-yourself” guide, go to: http://storycorps.org/record-your-story/cant-come-to-us/. In addition, I have found this book to be a valuable resource for classroom projects and would recommend it to anyone wishing to conduct an oral history interview with a family member: A Dialogue With the Past, by Glenn Whitman.

On May 10th I will track LOC’s Pass It On program through their Twitter feed @librarycongress and Facebook home page, and I look forward to following up with another Storycatcher At Large post.

Be thoughtful as you preserve your family history, but be fearless and record an oral history with a loved one.

I welcome questions and strive to provide helpful information, so leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Kelly P. Brisbois
Creative Director