The newest addition to the Library’s Library of Things catalog has arrived. The community can now check out Oral History Kits to preserve their stories.
Patrons can use one of nearly 30 kits to record interviews with individuals, families, or groups, documenting historical events and personal experiences that may not be found in traditional records. Each kit can be reserved for pickup at any branch and includes an audio recorder, discussion questions to help get the conversation started, and the option to host your story on the Library’s SoundCloud page.
These kits offer a more intimate interview experience by placing loved ones in the interviewer's seat and allowing interviews to be conducted anywhere.
“We're still working on getting that [SoundCloud] up and going, but we're hoping to upload a lot of interviews that people did specifically about Saint Charles County,” Library Services Coordinator Becca Splain said. “More local history: what life was like in the years past in Saint Charles County.”
Saint Charles County is home to many people with unique stories, and this free initiative helps share those stories with a broader audience and archive them for future generations. Some topics that could be discussed include memories of significant social events, such as the pandemic, stories from one's childhood, and other personal anecdotes.
“We're really hoping that people will check (the kits) out, especially over the holidays,” Splain said. “This is the perfect time for people to conduct an oral interview with their family members as they're seeing them over Thanksgiving and Christmas and other holidays.”
The Library purchased these kits through a grant from the Missouri Library Association’s Access Innovation Fund and has recorded dozens of stories since the kits became available in October.