Second Saturday Family History Workshop: Oral History with Sarah Milligan

The Kentucky Genealogical Society joins the Kentucky Historical Society with a series of free family history workshops each month at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. Topics range from how to begin documenting your ancestry to specialized resources for experienced genealogists. (See bottom or side menu for registration information)

Session 1:  “I wish I had just asked while I still had the chance:” Getting started with oral history in your own family             
Learn the basic framework of conducting an oral history interview, geared towards interviewing family members. This presentation will also discuss basic recording equipment options, home storage and care and when to think about archival donation or partnership.

Session 2:  Discovering an interview with Great-Aunt Sue: Searching for and mining oral history collections in Kentucky              
Discuss discovery and access of the more than 35,000 interviews publicly available in Kentucky archives, libraries and museums. This session will also investigate the implications and use of oral history collections in family history research and community contextualization.

Sarah Milligan, a native Oklahoman, holds an M.A. in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University and a B.A. in English and German from Oklahoma City University. Since 2007, Milligan has been the oral history administrator for the Kentucky Historical Society, which includes providing staff support to the Kentucky Oral History Commission. Her current responsibilities consist of managing the KOHC granting programs, leading oral history workshops statewide, as well as offering technical assistance to Kentucky oral history collection holders. Milligan also oversees the more than 9,000 oral history interviews in the KOHC archives at the Kentucky Historical Society. In 2012, she became part of the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Outreach Trainer Network. Before joining the KOHC, Milligan worked as a folklife specialist for the Kentucky Folklife Program, which included managing the growing network of Kentucky Community Scholars.

Morning session runs from 10:30-11:30 a.m., followed by an hour break for lunch. Second session runs from 12:30-1:30 p.m. A light box lunch is available at a cost of $7 payable at the door when requested in advance. Registration for these free workshops is required by noon of the previous Friday.

For more information or to register, contact:

Martin F. Schmidt Research Library Reference Desk

(502) 564-1792, ext. 4460

KHSrefdesk@ky.gov