One Book, One Springfield 2007

One Book, One Springfield

Oral History Project

Learn how to preserve the past through doing an oral history interview of a parent, grandparent, foster parent, teacher, mentor, or any person who has an interesting story to tell. A workshop will be led by two local radio professionals, Kevin Durocher of Valley Radio Reading Service, a nonprofit radio broadcast service for people in Massachusetts who are blind and print-impaired, and Tom Mahnken, Creative Director of Tide Radio of Williamsburg, VA., formerly of Radio WRNX Springfield. They will show how oral histories are being recorded around the U.S. through the National Oral History Project, Story Corps, a program sponsored by National Public Radio. It is an attempt to preserve America's past and create a permanent record of our collective experience through oral recording of those who lived it.

They will show practical methods of recording, demonstrate interviewing techniques, and provide professional recording and editing equipment. Cutting edge recording computer software and hardware will be discussed.

This workshop will be of interest to teens and adults. Whether you do interviews with simple dictation machines, cell phone tape recorders or use a professional recording studio, this will be a fun, worthwhile workshop to attend.

Oral History Workshop

Thursday. April 5 (5:00-6:00 p.m.)
Central Library 220 State St. 263-6828 ext.213

Oral History Recording Sessions

Tuesday April 10 (4:00-6:00 p.m.)
Central Library 220 State St. 263-6828 ext.213

Thursday April 12 (5:00-7:00 p.m.)
Valley Radio Reading Service (Radio Station Recording Studio at STCC Technology Park) One Federal St. Bldg.104-2r, Suite 2 747-7337

We invite you to record your own oral history narrative! Stop by one of these locations to add your story to our oral history project - no previous training is required. In addition to these two on-site sessions, we can arrange for an interviewer to go to a local community center, assisted living location, nursing home or other location to record your story. Once recorded, your story can be transferred onto CD for you to cherish forever.

The program leaders can transfer your recordings onto CDs (compact discs). They will also produce an edited CD with Stories of Springfield , containing our community's oral history recorded during this One Book project. It will be playing during our Making Memories Community Showcase on Saturday, April 21 at the Central Library, beginning at noon. Attendees will have the opportunity to be interviewed and to be a part of the Stories of Springfield recording.