Digital Initiatives Announces Online Access to Latah County Oral History Collection

 

A collection of more than 300 oral histories from people who grew up in North Idaho during the early 20th century is now online through the University of Idaho Library's Digital Initiatives at http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/lcoh/. This collection is a digital representation of the Latah County Oral History Collection, which is held by the UI Library's Special Collections and Archives.

The Latah County Historical Society collected the oral histories from interviews conducted in the mid-1970s and donated the recordings to the UI Library in 1987. The material was digitized and uploaded in 2013, producing one of the largest collections of oral histories - 569 hours - in the Pacific Northwest. The digital collection displays audio recordings alongside their transcripts, creating a wide range of searching and browsing possibilities within the collection.

A launch party to present the Latah County Oral History Collection to the local community will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1 at the 1912 Center in downtown Moscow. The party will include an overview and commentary by Devin Becker, UI digital librarian; Erin Stoddart, UI archivist; and Dulcie Kersting, Latah County Historical Society director. Representatives from the UI Anthropology laboratory also will speak about how they are using the oral histories to examine life in Elk River during the early 20th century. Refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend.