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UNO Libraries Awarded Grant to Make Oral History Interviews Available Free Online

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UNO Libraries' Archives and Special Collections is sharing over 220 interviews conducted from 1974 to 2007 as part of the new project Omaha Stories: Oral Histories of Omaha, Nebraska. The audio and video recordings of conversations with people from Omaha will be available online, alongside biographical sketches of each interviewee and detailed interview descriptions.

The oral history interviews in Omaha Stories will showcase the experiences of many Omahans including:

  • Native Americans discussing topics such as, traditional songs and dances; boarding schools and education; health care; and the occupation of Wounded Knee
  • European immigrants who moved to Nebraska pre and post-World War II
  • Veterans of the Vietnam War
  • UNO alumni, faculty, and administrators
  • and many other Nebraskans.

The initiative is part of UNO Libraries' strategic priority to cultivate, share, and preserve digital resources and scholarship. Omaha Stories is funded by Humanities Nebraska (HN) and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

In addition to the Omaha Stories website, UNO Libraries will host a public program in spring 2018 about oral history interviews, how they can highlight previously underdocumented communities, and connecting the history shared in oral history interviews with the present day. Omaha Stories will serve as a portal for listening to the stories of everyday Nebraskans and their experiences. Interviews currently being collected as part of UNO Libraries' LGBTQ+ Voices: The Queer Omaha Archives Oral History Project will also be added in the future.

The Omaha Stories: Oral Histories of Omaha, Nebraska website is one of many grants funded by HN. HN awards more than $257,000 in grants each year.

Created in 1973 as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, HN is an independent, non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of public and academic members. HN funds programs that explore Nebraska's heritage, build community awareness, and strengthen our ties to cultural traditions at home and abroad. The Nebraska Cultural Endowment is a public/private partnership that designates funds to HN for distribution.

Any non-profit group is eligible to apply for a grant from HN. The HN staff is available for grant consultation and will read proposal drafts. Contact the HN office if you need assistance with a project idea. For a copy of Humanities Nebraska grant guidelines, contact HN at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508, phone 402-474-2131, fax 402-474-4852, or e-mail at info@humanitiesnebraska.org. The entire grant guidelines packet is online at: http://humanitiesnebraska.org/.