Story Corps “Day of Listening”

Story Corps “Day of Listening” June 11

Following up on the visit that StoryCorps made to the Camden Public Library in May, the Library will host a “Day of Listening” to give everyone interested in the stories a chance to hear them. Six interviewees related their stories to friends while the StoryCorps team recorded. The interviews will be played in the library’s Picker Room throughout the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11, starting at noon. The participants include Paul Marshall, Stell Shevis, Seth Silverton, James Wadsworth, Gordon Harris, and Abby Norman.

The project, “Every Story Counts: Everyday Stories for Everyday People” was funded by the Branta Foundation. StoryCorps provides people of all backgrounds and beliefs the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. It is a great opportunity for community members to tell their own stories and to bring someone who is important to them to share in the conversation with them.

Nikki Maounis, Director of the Camden Library, says that “We were very excited to host StoryCorps here. As evidenced by their work, they do a fine job recording real America. After all, libraries are, and always have been, the keeper of the world’s stories. Facilitating the telling of those stories, and making sure they are recorded and preserved, is really just another part of our mission.”

Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 45,000 interviews with nearly 90,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, and millions listen to their weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition.