The Oral History Collection

The Department of Special Collections has a small collection of oral history tapes. Most of the tapes document the history of the college. These tapes discuss campus administrations, faculty, students, and traditions. They also document the programs that have defined the college, including the First-Year Seminar program and the Independent Study program. Some of the tapes appear to be part of a project that Kenneth Goings, assistant professor of History (1976-1988), began in the early 1980s. These tapes complement the College Archives Collection. The department also has a small collection of tapes that document the lives of missionaries who did missionary work in the Middle East and Africa during the first half of the twentieth century. These tapes appear to be a part of a project initiated by Judy Simmons, who interviews the missionary workers. This collection complements the Missionary Collections.

Since the time of the inventory project (Summer 1999), the department has initiated an oral history program to further document our campus history. Students are encouraged to be part of this program via the independent study process, tutorials, and requirements for Madonna Hettinger's History 299 course, "Making History."

All tapes are catalogued on CONSORT as part of the Oral History Collection. Copies of the oral history tapes are available for listening in Audiovisual Services. A finding tool is available for consultation both in Audiovisual Services and in Special Collections. Each entry includes available biographical information on the interviewee, a brief description of each interview, and an index of each interview by five-minute intervals.