2024 Oral History Association Annual Meeting

Keeping it Local will share tips and tricks from three GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive, Museum) professionals who have worked with community members and their stories for much of their respective careers. This session hopes to empower attendees to think about “Keeping it Local” in their communities and seek new ways to help disseminate information to their patrons and community members.
Keeping it Local: Building Community Memory Through Oral History
Dave Schroeder, Kenton County Public Library

The Kenton County Public Library’s oral history project, stories from local veterans, library personnel, community members from Northern Kentucky. This presentation will discuss specific programs and skillsets that will help train individuals to conduct interviews, specifically relating to the Kentucky Arts Council’s Community Scholars Program.
Keeping It Local: Collecting and Sharing Oral Histories with the Community

Larry Richmond, Genealogy & Local History Department at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
This presentation will be discussing the Ohio River Flood of 1937 and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s online ArcGIS Storymap exhibit that features oral histories and images that make the events come alive. Website: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/33ce2215515e40e0986cd044f76fdaac
Keeping it Local: Using AI to make Underrepresented Community Voices Accessible
Arabeth Balasko, Cincinnati Museum Center

Using AI Technology to generate transcriptions of BIPOC voices in the Cincinnati Museum’s oral history collection. These oral histories have been sitting unused and inaccessible for decades and have not been shared publicly until now. These underrepresented voices are currently being uploaded, along with their transcriptions, onto our recently updated database portal, ArchivEra. This presentation will highlight the challenges and triumphs of incorporating AI into Cincinnati Museum Center’s oral history collection workflow.ABSTRACT: Keeping it Local will explore the diverse ways that GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive, Museum) professionals can create community relationships in a technologically driven world. Each panelist will share their tips and tricks, their triumphs and challenges when it comes to working with 21st Century technology and fostering relationships with local community partners. By focusing on preservation, action steps, access, and staying human in a technically evolving world, the presenters in this session hope to inspire participants to Keep it Local in their own respective communities and organizations.