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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 Oral History ProgramG~~~ OF Dp~~2 /// ~ 1`~~~jz `04LIF01Z~1~ STAFF REPORT CITY C L E R K DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL File # ^®00-®© DATE: October 20, 2009 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Joni Pattillo, City Manager SUBJECT: Oral History Program Update Prepared By: John Hartnett, Heritage and Cultural Arts Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council has a high priority objective for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 to obtain and preserve the oral histories of Dublin seniors and long-time residents. The City Council will receive an update on an Oral History Program being developed by a Consultant and Steering Committee under the direction of the Heritage and Cultural Arts Division Staff. FINANCIAL IMPACT: $7,510 Appropriation in Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budgets RECOMMENDATION: Receive Report. ~'~ Submitted by: Parks and Community Services Director ,. i; .. ~.., 1 Reviewed by: Assistant City Manager Page 1 of 3 ITEM NO. DESCRIPTION: As part of the Fiscal Year. 2009-2010 Goals & Objectives, the City Council rated as a high priority goal: Obtain and preserve the oral histories of Dublin seniors and long-time residents. In order to accomplish the goal, the City Council established the program as a Higher Service Level in the Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget and allotted a budget of $7,510. The funds were to be used to hire a project consultant to coordinate the program, professionally video tape initial interviews and to purchase equipment and supplies. Terry Lee Berry was contracted in July 2009 to assist with program development. Ms. Berry holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and is currently working on a second Master's Degree in History. She has worked for several historical organizations in the Bay Area including: Director of the Museum on Main Street in Pleasanton; Archivist for the Livermore Heritage Guild; and Docent Coordinator for the USS Hornet Museum. Ms. Berry headed-up an oral history project called "Awesome Voices" for the Museum on Main during her tenure at Pleasanton. At the July 9, 2009 Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission meeting, an Oral History Steering Committee was established. Commissioners appointed to the Committee included Steve Minniear and Connie Mack as well as Dublin Historian Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold. Staff members Elizabeth Isles and John Hartnett and Library Director Lee Jouthas are also members of the Committee. The Committee's mission is to work in tandem with the Consultant to develop the program. Staff and the Consultant initially met to discuss the basic goals of the Oral History Program. The major goals identified were to: 1. Develop a platform for an evolving, integrated Oral History Program for the Dublin Heritage Center; 2. Begin an Oral History archives at the Dublin Heritage Center and the Dublin Public Library; 3. Expand public awareness about Dublin's Oral History collection; 4. Outline future programs that will increase community outreach and expand the Oral History collection; 5. Increase the pool of Oral History volunteers affiliated with the City and the Dublin Historical Preservation Association (DHPA). To accomplish these broad goals, specific tasks were defined as follows: • Develop a Project Manual for the program; • Develop an Oral History Student Training Manual for interviewers; • Develop interview protocols; • Develop collection of information protocols; • Develop Index/Transcription protocols; • Develop website protocols; • Recruit volunteers as interviewers; • Conduct training sessions for interviewers; • Identify four key community members to interview; • Complete four oral history interviews, excluding transcription. Page 2 of 3 Staff has contacted Tri-Valley Community Television (TV 30), who has agreed to provide technical support to accomplish the four oral history interviews for the first year of the program. The interviews will serve as a training component for future interviews, whether visual or audio. The Steering Committee has met twice with the Consultant in the past few months to share ideas and suggestions for developing the program. An Oral History Project Schedule has been developed to identify task priorities and time frames (Attachment 1). A "Project Manual" that defines an overview of the program and provides for various procedures, checklists and forms is being developed by the Consultant based on best practices and input from the Committee. Additionally, a "Student Training Manual" for volunteer interviewers is also being developed. Two one-half day training sessions for volunteer interviewers are scheduled to be conducted on Saturday, November 7th and 14th at the Dublin Library. The Committee has identified ten volunteer interviewers to receive training in the first class on November 7th, including four members of the Committee. The Steering Committee is in the process of identifying the initial four key members of the community to be interviewed. The Committee also plans to create a process to recruit future interview subjects based on historical themes. Some of these themes include: • Expand understanding of Dublin's development as a "made" community; • Increase knowledge about Camp Parks; • Generate research about Dublin's transition from an agricultural community to a regional service center; • Document the lives of Dublin's political, economic, and civic leadership; • Create a unique record of the experiences and perceptions of Dublin's minority residents. Elements of the program that are in discussion for the future include a possible work station and office area to conduct post-interview processing, a volunteer administrator who could work with Staff to move the program forward, future transcription equipment and an informal event to introduce the program to the public. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: A copy of the Staff Report was distributed to the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission, Oral History Steering Committee, and Consultant Terry Lee Berry. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Oral History Project Schedule Page 3 of 3 ~~ SCHEDULE Dublin Oral History Project Timeline July 2009-June 2010 Activities Timeframe Res nsibili Committee Meeting (discuss 2009-2010 ro ram oats Aug-09 TB and Committee Draft Pro~ect Timeline Aug-09 TB Committee Meeting (finalize 2009-2010 program goals/schedule, discuss field kits/training, discuss interview topics, finalize interviewee/interviewer list Sep-09 B and Committee Develo Interview Protocols Sep-09 TB Draft Review Sep-09 TB and Committee Develop Oral history forms (bio, release, contact log, intro and thank you letter, audio intro label) Sep-09 g Draft Review Sep-09 TB and Committee Develop Collection Procedures Sep-09 TB Draft Review Sep-09 TB and Committee Develop Project Manual for Staff Sep-09 TB Draft Review Sep-09 TB and Committee Develo Trainin Manual Sep-09 TB Draft Review Sep-09 TB and Committee Develo Index Procedures Oct-09 TB Draft Review Oct-09 TB and Committee Develo Website Procedures Nov-09 TB Draft Review Nov-09 TB and Committee Material Preparation & Printin Jan-10 Staff Trainin Class Recruit interviewers Oct-09 TB and Committee Conduct Training Session for Interviewers January-February 2010 TB four<lnterviews Contact interviewees February-April 2010 TB and Interviewers Schedule interviews February-April 2010 TB and Interviewers Interviews February-April 2010 TB and Interviewers Catalo April-June 2010 TB and Interviewers Index April-June 2010 TB and Interviewers ID -20-d9 ~ / ATTACHMENT 1