Your Story  @ your library Kathryn Kelley April 21, 2006
Target Audience ELL students at Lincoln High School whose families have recently immigrated to this country
Community Needs Affirmation of the immigrant youth experience Appreciation of and connection to family history and culture Attitudes towards immigrants
Challenges Possible reluctance of teens to participate Unwillingness of family members to share personal stories Language barriers Recording equipment access
Opportunities ELL instructors Utilize StoryCorps online resources  Public library or media center resources on interviewing, oral history
Main Goal Students will learn tools and  techniques to record oral history Discover the value of their individual and family stories as American history Add diversity to library collection Enhance relationship between schools and public libraries
Key Message Your family, your history, your story
Strategies Meet with Lincoln High School instructors Publicize through the public library website Pitch as human interest to local media Contact local organizations serving immigrants and refugees
Evaluation Student written report Instructor feedback Invite families and communities to listen to and discuss interviews Media response Materials added to collection
Your Story

Your story @ your library

  • 1.
    Your Story @ your library Kathryn Kelley April 21, 2006
  • 2.
    Target Audience ELLstudents at Lincoln High School whose families have recently immigrated to this country
  • 3.
    Community Needs Affirmationof the immigrant youth experience Appreciation of and connection to family history and culture Attitudes towards immigrants
  • 4.
    Challenges Possible reluctanceof teens to participate Unwillingness of family members to share personal stories Language barriers Recording equipment access
  • 5.
    Opportunities ELL instructorsUtilize StoryCorps online resources Public library or media center resources on interviewing, oral history
  • 6.
    Main Goal Studentswill learn tools and techniques to record oral history Discover the value of their individual and family stories as American history Add diversity to library collection Enhance relationship between schools and public libraries
  • 7.
    Key Message Yourfamily, your history, your story
  • 8.
    Strategies Meet withLincoln High School instructors Publicize through the public library website Pitch as human interest to local media Contact local organizations serving immigrants and refugees
  • 9.
    Evaluation Student writtenreport Instructor feedback Invite families and communities to listen to and discuss interviews Media response Materials added to collection
  • 10.

Editor's Notes

  • #2 The title, Your Story @ your library, reflects the goal of adding your personal story to our community’s historical archives. This campaign is modeled on the StoryCorps project: “Extraordinary stories from everyday people.” I first became familiar with this program after hearing select interviews aired weekly on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” I’ve been moved and captivated by these shared stories of ordinary people and their experiences. Sponsored by NPR and the American Folklore Center of the Library of Congress, “StoryCorps is a national project to instruct and inspire Americans to record one another's stories in sound” (StoryCorps, 2006). The StoryCorps program is designed to bring together two people: parent and child, friends, partners, neighbors. Facilitators assist the two participants in recording a 40-minute interview at the StoryCorps booth. Participants receive a CD of their recorded interview, and with their permission, the recording is added to the StoryCorps Archive at the American Folklore Center at the Library of Congress. Unfortunately, there is no StoryCorps booth in our area, nor has one of the two sponsored MobileBooths yet visited our community. However, my plan is to utilize the StoryCorps project as an @ your library campaign, bringing together two people to record their personal story and to provide them with a recording of their conversation and, with their permission, to add their story to our public library collection. Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, said "I suspect that libraries and libraries are going to end up playing a huge role in bringing StoryCorps to the nation. It’s our intention that everybody in the country has access to this and that everybody knows about it. I believe the best way to do that is through the library" (Kniffel, 2005, p. 43). Kniffel, L. (2005, December). StoryCorps oral history project Listening as an act of love. American Libraries, 36 (11). 42-5. Retrieved April 12, 2006 from Wilson Web database. StoryCorps. (2006). Participate – StoryCorps . Retrieved April 12, 2006 from http://www.storycorps.net/participate/