Everyone’s got a story
The U-M Library will partner with the national oral history organization StoryCorps to record and preserve stories from the U-M community during the October Fall Festival bicentennial celebration.
StoryCorps, whose mission is to “preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world,” will visit the campus from Oct. 26-28. The library is seeking participants interested in having a conversation with a friend, classmate, family member, or colleague about a meaningful experience at U-M and its lasting effect on their personal or professional lives.
“To help mark the University’s bicentennial, we’re hoping to capture some of the essence of the University’s past and present in the stories the community wants to tell, and to ensure it’s kept for future generations,” says Dean of Libraries James Hilton. He adds the library, which sits at the virtual and physical center of campus, is an ideal venue for this kind of gathering.
StoryCorps will record these conversations, which will be archived at the Library of Congress for the benefit of future generations. The library also plans to widely share the stories captured during the interviews in order to highlight significant and interesting aspects of the University’s past and present. Both interview partners will receive copies of the conversation.
Submit your proposal for a University of Michigan StoryCorps conversation via this Google Form.
The Fall Festival (Oct. 26-28, 2017) is the final festival of the University’s bicentennial celebration, and will see the sealing of U-M time capsules, developed and designed by students from diverse disciplines such as art and design, engineering, architecture, and American culture.
A Third Century Expo on Friday, Oct. 27, highlighting current innovative work by faculty, students and staff, will fill Ingalls Mall, followed by a nighttime finale that organizers promise will be unlike any outdoor event in campus history. The Fall Festival coincides with homecoming weekend, a football game against Rutgers University, and a special halftime show by the Michigan Marching Band.
