MEMORY LAB CAN HELP YOU PRESERVE YOUR ORAL HISTORY
What are oral histories?
Oral histories are a method of collecting and preserving history from the very people who experienced it. The goal of an oral history is to gather the memories, stories and perspectives of our neighbors — and our community — by conducting recorded interviews. Those conversations are then made accessible to the public as well as archived for posterity.
Why do oral histories matter?
Oral histories are an important and effective way of sharing people’s personal accounts of past events because they are first-hand recollections that would typically go undocumented. These accounts capture not only historical events but also the human element associated with those events — people’s thoughts, feelings and viewpoints. These intangibles help create a fuller, more accurate portrayal of our shared history.
The Memory Lab @ Washington Memorial Library
The Memory Lab @ Washington Memorial Library offers users the ability to preserve their own history free of charge. Have valuable memories stuck on a format you can longer access, such as VHS or cassette tapes? The Memory Lab can help convert a wide variety of outdated media to modern platforms, both preserving your stories and making them accessible for the future. All you have to do is watch training videos, then reserve an appointment (for up to three hours).
The Memory Lab provides equipment for digitizing home movies, scanning photographs and converting audio-visual content images from legacy media to digital. It's a do-it-yourself model. Library employees provide step-by-step instructions, but you control the process from start to finish.
Here are other oral history resources that can help:
Atlanta History Center - Voices Across the Color Line Oral History Project
Ralph Luker became involved in the civil rights movement while teaching in Macon (2016)
Georgia State University - Georgia Government Documentation Project
Mercer University Oral Histories
Middle Georgia State University - Oral History Project: Vietnam
Interviews with Vietnam veterans from Middle Georgia
Any Vietnam veteran from the state of Georgia is welcome to participate in this project. For more information, call 478-934-3179.
National Oral History Association
Oral Histories of the American South
Viola Turner (1979)
Oral Histories from the Diocese of Savannah: Oral histories conducted in 2019 with African American members of the Diocese of Savannah as part of the Black Catholic Oral History Project.
The Peyton Anderson Story Bank Project
Sanford Oral Histories - Civil Rights Collection
Interviews with notable civil rights leaders and SCOPE volunteers from Macon
Anita Phillips Martin (2016) - Anita was born in Oconee County in 1938 and grew up in Macon.
Bonnie Montgomery (2014) - Bonnie grew up in Macon. She recalls the gender division of the schools in Macon and the family environment she grew up in.
National Museum of African American History and Culture - Oral History Initiative
Warner Robins Oral History Project (2014)