Testimonies: The rewards and challenges of letting their voices be heard

Abstract

The paper will examine two cases studies regarding collection development within Florida Gulf Coast University's Archives and Special Collections to highlight the department's efforts to curate collections that challenge gender and cultural bias. Librarians can influence the common historical perspective by collecting primary resources, such as oral histories, that challenge established norms. In recent decades, librarians have sought more diverse and inclusive collections to augment the resources available to scholars and storytellers. Oral histories are a powerful resource capable of providing valuable and differing perspectives of history and the human experience. This paper will discuss the rewards and challenges of collecting, cataloguing, and providing access to two oral history collections: a collection of ethnographies regarding sexual assault (S(he) Will Fade) and a collection of testimonies from people who dealt with the reality of abortion pre- and post-Roe v. Wade (Histories of Choice). The case studies address the importance of academic institutions' engagement with such collections, faculty and students' role in the collection of the oral histories, potential legal issues, and the impact of letting their voices be heard.