LibGuides: Public History: Memory and Oral History

Research

Primary Sources: Repositories

Library of Congress Digital Collections
The Library of Congress Digital Collections provide free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Center of Southwest Studies
The Center of Southwest Studies has collected oral histories since before the time of the Center's inception in 1964. Interviews date from 1958 to the present.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Oral History Program
As part of the Museum's mission to collect and preserve the agricultural heritage of New Mexico, the Museum implemented an Oral History Program in the mid-1990s.
The American Folklife Center
Online content may include audio samples of music and stories, digital images of rare letters and photographs, and video clips.
The Portal to Texas History
Oral history collections include the "Texas Oral History Collection" and the "National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection."
VOCES Oral History Project
VOCES Oral History Project includes several components for audiences of all ages. All components support the project's central mission: to foster a greater awareness of the contributions of Latinos & Latinas of the WWII generation.

Find Articles

Databases

Databases can yield search results in the hundreds. To locate relevant sources quickly and efficiently, consider using database advance search options. Narrow your results by publication date, language, subject, author, full text, etc. If you find you're still overwhelmed, ask a librarian for research assistance.

America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
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Access to article abstracts in over 2000 history journals; regional focus on the United States and other countries in North America.
American Periodical Series Online, 1740-1900 This link opens in a new window
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Contains digitized images of pages of more than 1,100 American magazines and journals that originated between 1741 and 1900. Coverage spans nearly 200 years-from colonial times to the advent of American involvement in WWII. Periodical articles from the time of an event may be used as primary sources.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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Archive of scholarly journals. JSTOR does not include issues from recent volumes, usually the last 2 to 5 years. Tips for using JSTOR

U.S. History Collection
Coverage of both the current thought and events in US History, as well as scholarly work being established in the field.

Journals

This list is not comprehensive. Visit the NMSU Library online to search journal titles.

Professional Organizations

Oral History Association
The Oral History Association, established in 1966, seeks to bring together all persons interested in oral history as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories to foster knowledge and human dignity.
Southwest Oral History Association
The purpose of the organization is to provide a vehicle for communication among persons, programs, and institutions using oral testimony; to encourage cooperation among its members; to promote standards among oral historians, to foster an understanding of and use of oral history.