The History Design Lab has sponsored several events and group projects during Oberlin’s Winter Term. In 2020, we organized an oral history institute that featured alums, faculty, staff, and students engaged in discussions of how to conduct effective interviews, the ethics of doing oral history, and strategies for developing collaborative oral history projects. In 2022, there was a History Design Lab Winter Term Group Project, where 14 students spent three weeks learning l new techniques and methods for recovering, researching, and interpreting the past and gaining experience with a range of digital tools used by historians, including Omeka, Scalar, Storymaps, Timeline JS, and OHMS (the Oral History Metadata Synthesizer).
“The project merged two things I am interested in: history and storytelling. As a senior, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do post-grad, and this institute was a good opportunity to learn about broader fields within history that also resonated with me personally.”
This is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
“Ethics of Oral History, Including Interview Rights and How to Mitigate Risks of Interviewing”
Workshop instructor Liz Strong (OC ’09) is Coordinator for the Obama Presidency Oral History Project. She was Project Coordinator for “Muslims in Brooklyn” at the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) from 2017 to 2019. In this role she conducted nearly 30 oral history interviews in ten different Brooklyn neighborhoods. She also coordinated outreach events, public programs, community partnerships, and BHS interdepartmental collaborations on an arts exhibition and educational curriculum. From 2015 to 2019, she was the Oral History Program Manager for the New York Preservation Archive Project, where she led several oral history initiatives on the history of the preservation movement in New York City. Previously, Strong worked with the Columbia Center for Oral History Research to write its 2018 Oral History Transcription Style Guide. She was also a member of the Oral History Association and was a task force to author for its 2018 Principles & Best Practices. As a freelance oral historian and personal historian, beginning in 2010, Strong worked with a variety of clients, including the Washington Department of Commerce in 2013 and the University of Arizona Steward Observatory in 2012. She received her MA in Oral History from Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2015, and her BA in Narrative Arts from Oberlin College in 2009.. This is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
“Ethics of Oral History, Including Interview Rights and How to Mitigate Risks of Interviewing”
Liz Strong (OC ’09) is Coordinator for the Obama Presidency Oral History Project. She was Project Coordinator for “Muslims in Brooklyn” at the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) from 2017 to 2019. In this role she conducted nearly 30 oral history interviews in ten different Brooklyn neighborhoods. She also coordinated outreach events, public programs, community partnerships, and BHS interdepartmental collaborations on an arts exhibition and educational curriculum. From 2015 to 2019, she was the Oral History Program Manager for the New York Preservation Archive Project, where she led several oral history initiatives on the history of the preservation movement in New York City. Previously, Strong worked with the Columbia Center for Oral History Research to write its 2018 Oral History Transcription Style Guide. She was also a member of the Oral History Association and was a task force to author for its 2018 Principles & Best Practices. As a freelance oral historian and personal historian, beginning in 2010, Strong worked with a variety of clients, including the Washington Department of Commerce in 2013 and the University of Arizona Steward Observatory in 2012. She received her MA in Oral History from Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2015, and her BA in Narrative Arts from Oberlin College in 2009.This is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
Pictured, Carol Lasser and Tania Poster presented:
“Remembering Oberlin Public Schools/Harvesting School Stories”This is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
“Shirley Graham Du Bois Project” by Tamika NunleyThis is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
“Going Public: Sharing Your Project Online”
Megan Mitchell (right, purple) is currently the Academic Engagement & Digital Initiatives Coordinator and Team Leader for Instruction for the Oberlin College Libraries.. She works with faculty and students on a variety of digital projects using platforms such as Omeka, Scalar, and WordPress, and with libraries and archives staff on creating and managing digital resources. She earned her MLS from Rutgers University and MA in Art History from Case Western Reserve University.This is a winter term opportunity designed to introduce different methodologies and techniques for creating projects focused on the past. This year, we invited speakers that will assist us in leading workshops and panel discussions focused on oral history, digital humanities and public history. The institute is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community at Oberlin.
Pictured, Adrian Bautista and Gina Perez presented:
“Latina/o/x Oral Histories of Northeast Ohio Project”Exploring the stories of our communities, crafting histories, and learning new methods encapsulated this powerful convening of storytellers. Photographs taken by Yvonne Gay.
