2024 Oral History Association Annual Meeting

Hear about OurStoryBridge: Connecting the Past and the Present, and the free tools available to create community-driven online short-form oral histories. This innovative, adaptive oral history methodology is used by libraries, museums, historical societies, and nonprofit organizations and addresses challenges faced by oral historians using traditional methods.

ABSTRACT: OurStoryBridge: Connecting the Past and the Present is a free, online resource and tool kit that supports the production of low-cost crowdsourced, short-form community oral history projects. Learn about OurStoryBridge and practice taking short-form oral histories.OurStoryBridge uses an innovative, adaptive model for the creation of three- to five-minute, locally produced oral histories accompanied by related photographs made freely accessible online via individualized websites to create a 21st century bridge between the past, present, and future. We encourage OurStoryBridge adopters to lean on our experience and resources to get started and then to shape their story projects to meet their own needs and goals. In just three years since release of OurStoryBridge, over 20 communities in 13 states have created online oral history projects using this innovative, online methodology, with 800+ stories available through an online Teacher’s Guide for classroom use, with more stories added daily. OurStoryBridge Inc. incorporated in 2022 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping libraries, museums, historical societies, and issue-oriented organizations use free, online resources to support the production of low-cost, community oral history projects. At the 2023 OHA Annual Meeting, participants in the four-hour workshop attended by oral historians from around the world were enthusiastic about OurStoryBridge, especially how it successfully addresses challenges they struggle with. In this multimedia and interactive session, we will include sample oral histories from across the country, personal narratives on themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and relate how OurStoryBridge, through its Teacher’s Guide, shares stories with educators so they become an important part of their pedagogy. Our vision is that OurStoryBridge empowers every community to cultivate connection across the generations, encourage civic engagement, celebrate diversity, and engender shared and durable kindness.