About Us
Located in Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, the William H. Berge Oral History Center is a collaboration between Special Collections and Archives and EKU faculty, staff, students, and community members. Oral history is the collecting of spoken memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through a recorded dialog between an interviewer and an interviewee.
The Berge Center was established in June 2012 to carry on the work of the EKU Oral History Center that created over 3,000 interviews between 1977 and 1994. Dr. William H. Berge was the first director of the original center and the naming of the revived center honors his accomplishments.
The Berge Center staff is responsible for the long-term archiving of oral history interviews and providing access to completed projects. They also connect project managers with resources to conduct high-quality interviews by:
- Allocating recording equipment
- Providing training and resources to potential interviewers
- Connecting potential project managers with funding sources
- Developing and articulating standards and guidelines for file formats and legal documentation.
Interviews
A complete list of all the oral history interviews can be found here. This link also includes transcripts and indexes for some projects.
Mission
The William H. Berge Oral History Center collects and preserves recorded interviews that document the history and culture of Kentucky and Kentuckians.
Staff
Neil Kasiak