Oral History: Keeping Our Heritage Alive

StoryCorps: Keeping our Heritage Alive

As letter writing has decreased over the years, replaced by technology such as the telephone, e-mail and texting, so has much of the everyday history of Americans. StoryCorps is a publicly funded organization devoted to capturing the experiences of everyday Americans through an ambitious oral history project.

David Isay, Founder of StoryCorps believes, “every body’s story matters and every life is counts.” StoryCorps provides the equipment and support for friends and family members to interview their loved ones and “honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.” (StoryCorps mission: http://www.storycorps.org/about) Every StoryCorps experience is a conversation between people who care about each other. The conversation is recorded and archived in the Library of Congress for posterity and the participants keep a free compact disc for their own enjoyment and sharing.

StoryCorps began reaching out to Americans with memory loss in 2006, encouraging them to share their stories. This initiative is led by nationally recognized experts in memory loss and the technicians who participate in this program are specially trained to support people with memory loss in telling their stories.

To participate in the StoryCorps project, call StoryCorps or visit the website (www.storycorps.org) to schedule an appointment at a recording location. If there is not a location near you, contact StoryCorps for a Do-It-Yourself kit or rent a Story Kit to produce your piece.

Contact Information:
646-723-7027
www.storycorps.org
StoryCorps
80 Hanson Place, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217