The Wyoming State Records Advisory Board, the Campbell County Historical Society, and the Campbell County Public Library are co-sponsoring “Doing Oral History in Your Community,” a free hands-on workshop on planning and conducting oral history interviews of local residents. The workshop is scheduled for June 8, at the Campbell County Public Library, 2101 S 4-J Rd, in Gillette, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration is free. Contact Jane Gebhardt at 307-687-0009, or jane@ccpls.org to register. Parking is available. Lunch will be provided by the Campbell County Historical Society.
The instructor, Barbara Allen Bogart, has been involved in oral history for more than 30 years. A resident of Wyoming since 1991, Dr. Bogart has worked at the Wyoming State Museum and Uinta County Museum, and has published two books and numerous articles based on oral histories. She especially enjoys presenting oral history workshops to community groups.
This workshop will cover the basics of doing oral history in a community setting, including choosing a focus, identifying narrators, preparing an interview guide, choosing recording equipment, and conducting the interview. As part of the workshop, participants will put what they’ve learned into practice in a mock interview session.
“We’ll spend some time brainstorming ideas and strategies about potential oral history projects in the community,” Bogart said. “We’ll also address preserving the recordings, evaluating the information gathered as historical evidence, and developing specific products such as museum exhibits and media productions.”
The Wyoming SHRAB offers grants which promote the identification, preservation and dissemination of the state’s historical records, by encouraging and supporting ongoing training programs for state, tribal and local governments, local repositories, organizations, and others involved in records care in Wyoming. The program is administered by the Wyoming State Archives, which is part of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. The Wyoming SHRAB is funded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.