March 6, 2003 Feature Story
Utah
State to Partner with Library of Congress in Veterans History
Project
 Utah
State University's Special Collections and Archives has joined
the Library of Congress to educate future generations about
America's veterans. The endeavor, known as the Veterans History
Project, is aimed at gathering wartime stories and chronicling
this information through recorded interviews and other documents.
"We want to encourage people to participate," said
Randy Williams, director of the Veterans History Project at
Utah State and Fife Folklore archive curator of Special Collections
and Archives. "If they're interested in getting involved,
either by sharing their stories or by being willing to interview
and work with those veterans, we would be happy to work with
them."
The project was created by Congress in October of 2000 to honor
the nation's war veterans. The legislation was signed into law
by President Bill Clinton the same month.
Utah State joined the Library of Congress by becoming part of
the Veterans History Project, collecting wartime histories from
the surrounding areas, including Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties.
Williams said the project will involve a summer workshop in
June to train volunteers. Anyone can join the project by becoming
a volunteer, a partner or a youth partner, Williams said.
According to the Veterans History Project brochure, volunteers
will interview war veterans and transcribe their recordings,
or identify documents to donate. Volunteers may be family members,
fellow veterans, students or other interested citizens who collect
veterans' histories and donate them to the project.
The brochure describes a partner as a civic organization, veterans
group, government agency or an institution, such as a museum,
library, community college or university. Partners can assist
by developing public programs or events associated with the
project.
The pamphlet defines youth partners as classes of students and
teachers in middle and secondary schools, after-school programs
and youth groups. The youth partners teach and learn the techniques
and educational value of oral history.
According to the Veterans History Project How-to Guide, "The
legislation calls upon the American Folklife Center at the Library
of Congress to collect and preserve audio- and video-taped oral
histories, along with documentary materials such as letters,
diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies of America's war
veterans and those who served in support of them."
"Every person's story is like a quilt," said Williams.
"Every patch is important, but when you stand back, you
see something really beautiful. Each of these stories makes
the quilt more beautiful and more full, rich and textured. I
really hope that we can get a variety of colors from different
past experiences."
Williams said there are 1,500 veterans dying each day, and 1,100
of them are World War II veterans. She said the need to document
their history is at an all-time high. Though the urgency is
placed on collecting World War II and Korean War histories,
veterans from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars are also important,
she added.
As program director, Williams said she will be in charge of
organizing the summer workshop when the department finds out
if a grant is awarded. The event will accommodate approximately
40 volunteers. She said she wants to stress the importance of
the workshop in getting people involved in the project.
For more information, contact Williams at (432) 797-3493. To
visit the Veterans History Project Web site, go to http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/.
Contact: Randy Williams 435-797-3493
Writer: Greg Hatch 435-797-1350
Photos courtesy the Veterans
History Project Web site and the Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs Division
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