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Oral History Workshop

Aspiring and experienced oral history practitioners participate in a daylong event exploring the complexities of oral history projects and their community-based and institutional stakeholders.

The library and the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) invite the public to a day focused on oral history methods and practices. Complete novices and experienced practitioners alike may expect to learn from panel presentations, small-group discussions, tabling opportunities and networking with other oral historians.

The opportunities for engagement are to proceed according to the following schedule.

10:30-11 a.m.: Registration and Coffee

11 a.m. to noon.: Panel, "Oral History 101: Community- and University-based Collaborations for Oral History Projects"

The first panel features students who were trained to conduct oral history interviews and then contributed to course-based projects. Attendees may expect to learn what worked, what didn't and what they wish they had known, as they started working with Oral History. Panelists include Zach Williamson, Noah Dorn and others, who contributed to the "Voces de la Diaspora" Oral History project as part of a course offered through the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) at Princeton University. Tania Boster, Director of the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) will moderate the discussion.

Panelists:

Siyeon Lee is a sophomore at Princeton University intending to major in History. Last summer, she worked for Princeton's Program for Community Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) as an Oral History Intern, documenting the stories of individuals who have worked to preserve Black/Indigenous seed and foodways in Southeastern Appalachia. 

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Zach Williamson is a junior at Princeton University, where he studies Economics with minors in Spanish and Music Performance. In his free time, he sings with Princeton's oldest a cappella group, the Nassoons, and in the Glee Club and Chamber Choir. He's been taking courses in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese since his first semester at Princeton and has loved every one of them. A favorite memory is certainly learning the craft of oral history for the Voces de la Diáspora Oral History Project.

Charlotte Defriez is a junior at Princeton University, majoring in Religion with minors in Philosophy and Humanistic Studies. On campus, she volunteers as a violin coach with the Trenton Youth Orchestra and performs in musical theater pits, including with the Princeton Triangle Club. Last summer, Charlotte had the opportunity to work as a student researcher for the Heirloom Gardens Oral History Project, where she helped collect oral histories from individuals who have worked to preserve Black and Indigenous seed and foodways. Highlights of the experience included exploring Asheville's lesser-known history, trying her hand at farming, and being invited to cookouts full of delicious food.

Noah Dorn is a sophomore at Princeton University, who is originally from Germany and Italy and went to high school in the UK. He will be majoring in economics with prospective minors in Classics, Spanish, philosophy, European cultural studies, and religion. He has a deep interest in languages and in using language for effective communication and to highlight diverse perspectives. Outside of the classroom, some of his interests include football (the European kind!), running, poetry, horology, classical music, and the opera and opera-house-hopping!

Annalisa Jenkins '27 is a sophomore Spanish major from Baltimore, Maryland. She is pursuing minors in Journalism and Statistics with an interdisciplinary focus on environmental and migrant justice. On campus, Annalisa organizes and gives English lessons to campus dining staff as a Project Leader for El Centro, plays goalie for Princeton's club soccer team and works as a research specialist in a project with the Seed Farm studying okra seeds. Annalisa spent last summer conducting interviews with environmental sovereignty organizations in Bolivia, Puerto Rico and Baltimore through the Bogle Fellowship.

Moderator:

Tania Boster directs the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES), which supports academic courses and research collaborations grounded in Princeton University’s commitment to teaching and research that benefits humanity. Tania has taught oral history methods courses in the Oberlin College History Department; has organized and presented at international workshops and conferences, including The Global Liberal Arts Alliance convening “Oral History and Student Engagement with Displaced Communities”; and has helped facilitate community-driven historical research projects, including the Lorain County Racial Equity Agenda. Reflecting her deep commitments to public humanities and community-engaged experiential learning, she proudly serves on the boards of trustees for the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) and Oberlin Shansi.

Noon to p.m.: A complimentary lunch will be provided to registered attendees.

1-2 p.m.: Panel, "Public Library Partnerships for Sustainable Oral History Projects" 

The second panel brings together speakers from public libraries across the state, to explore different models for advancing oral history projects through partnerships with public libraries. The libraries represented on the panel have supported local history projects through oral history or advanced community engagement through the practice of oral history. Featured speakers include Eric Zino, director of the Haddonfield Public Library, C. Adrienne Rhodes of The Preserving Black Haddonfield Project, Kathleen Melgar, director of the Asbury Park Public Library, and Juber Alaya, archivist of the New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center at the Newark Public Library.  

Panelists:

C. Adrienne Rhodes is a great-great granddaughter of the Civil War hero John Henry Lawson, a descendant of the Arthurs of Lawnside, and a fifth-generation member of Haddonfield's African-American community. Her career is decorated with firsts as a content creator, government official, media executive, and strategic communication specialist. Now, in semi-retirement, she is passionate about playing a leadership role for The Preserving Black Haddonfield Project, where she is a founder and acting administrator as well as executive editor/producer of "Preserve: Narratives From Historic Haddonfield's African-American Community." Her many honors include being a recipient of a Haddonfield Alumni Society Lifetime Achievement Award, named as a “Future Leader of America” by Ebony magazine, and as a New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund Phase 9 Grants Evaluator. Her current volunteer work includes: serving as a Camden County Cultural Awareness Commission appointee and WHYY (local NPR/PBS affiliate) Community Advisory Board and Governance Committee member; and her recent leadership of a joint application with Haddonfield Public Library led to the selection of "The Point" as a destination among the inaugural round of New Jersey Black Heritage Trail sites.  

Eric Zino has been the director of the Haddonfield Public Library since 2016. He previously worked for Lyrasis as a consultant serving the Mid-Atlantic region, and as the assistant director of the Burlington County College Library.  Originally settled in 1682, Haddonfield is a community with a rich history.  The library is currently working with multiple Haddonfield organizations on projects that preserve and expand access to those legacies. 

Kathleen Melgar is the director of the Asbury Park Public Library, where she combines her lifelong love of libraries with a deep commitment to her community. A founding member of the Asbury Park African American Music Project (APAMP), Kathleen helped launch this initiative as an oral history project at the library, preserving and celebrating the city’s rich cultural heritage. With a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University, Kathleen and her staff have led efforts to strengthen the library’s role as a cornerstone of community life. She has championed initiatives in digital literacy, educational support, and cultural engagement, ensuring the library evolves with the needs of its diverse patrons.

Juber Ayala applies his passion for history to make historical records more accessible to the general public. He is the archivist at The Puerto Rican Community Archives (PRCA) where he multitasks on several projects, such as creating metadata and uploading digitized archival material online and at the Newark Public Library's New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center.

Moderator: 

Clifford Robinson is the public humanities specialist at the Princeton Public Library. Working closely with the library’s programming team and a humanities council consisting of leading experts in the academic and public humanities, his effort on behalf of the library's public humanities initiative promotes critical thinking, civic engagement, and empathetic understanding through community collaboration and dynamic programs and resources. 

2-2:30 p.m.: Break

2:30-3:30 p.m.: Simultaneous sessions devoted to different areas of practice.

3:30-4 p.m.: Networking and casual socializing.

4 p.m.: End of program.

Presented in partnership with the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Community Room Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Assistive listening system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices (compatible headphones also available for use during programs)
• English-language subtitles for films (when available)
• If there is an accommodation that you need or would like so that you can fully enjoy library programs, please visit our Accommodations Request Form.

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