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The Mesa County Oral History Project began as a joint project of the Museums of Western Colorado and Mesa County Libraries (MCL) in 1975.
What IS Oral History?
An oral history is an audio or video recording of a person speaking about their personal, lived experience of historical events.
Note that in some cases, the same OH number was used multiple times, and in some cases, numbers were skipped entirely. In all, the collection had more than 2,000 recordings as of 2023.
The Oral History Project collected tape-recorded interviews with pioneers of Mesa County and surrounding areas, and interviews with the children of pioneers. The Central Library housed the duplicate audio cassettes and provided patron access to the histories. The Museum stored the master tapes and kept files and transcripts related to the oral history collection. The Mesa County Historical Society at times contributed to the Oral History Project by collaborating with the library and museum to select interviewees, and by providing interviewers and other volunteers.
The library now works with the Museum to digitize interviews from the Mesa County Oral History Project. The Museum continues to house the original audio cassettes, interview transcripts, and other source material for the project. The Library and the Museums of Western Colorado still record oral histories with residents who have important knowledge of the area’s history.
Please note that some interviews contain language that listeners or readers may consider offensive. Museums of Western Colorado and Mesa County Libraries do not condone such language, but have included interviews in their entirety in the interest of preserving history.
What IS Oral History?
An oral history is an audio or video recording of a person speaking about their personal, lived experience of historical events.
Note that in some cases, the same OH number was used multiple times, and in some cases, numbers were skipped entirely. In all, the collection had more than 2,000 recordings as of 2023.
The Oral History Project collected tape-recorded interviews with pioneers of Mesa County and surrounding areas, and interviews with the children of pioneers. The Central Library housed the duplicate audio cassettes and provided patron access to the histories. The Museum stored the master tapes and kept files and transcripts related to the oral history collection. The Mesa County Historical Society at times contributed to the Oral History Project by collaborating with the library and museum to select interviewees, and by providing interviewers and other volunteers.
The library now works with the Museum to digitize interviews from the Mesa County Oral History Project. The Museum continues to house the original audio cassettes, interview transcripts, and other source material for the project. The Library and the Museums of Western Colorado still record oral histories with residents who have important knowledge of the area’s history.
Please note that some interviews contain language that listeners or readers may consider offensive. Museums of Western Colorado and Mesa County Libraries do not condone such language, but have included interviews in their entirety in the interest of preserving history.
Museum Programs (is related to)
Museums of Western Colorado (MWC) (is related to)
Mesa County Public Library (is related to)
Mesa County Public Library (is related to)
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