Lafayette Public Library

The Lafayette Public Library Oral History project began in spring 2024 to coincide with the Lafayette Public Library’s 100th Anniversary gathering memories from the rich palette of diverse voices composing our town to tell its story – History from the Bottom Up. ​ The mission of the Lafayette Library’s Oral History Project is threefold:​ 1. To rescue files from approximately eighty oral history interviews hidden for decades in the library’s archives, cataloging previous oral histories gathered in the 70s, 80s, and 90s and bring them to the public on a new platform, Islandora. ​ 2. Continue gathering oral histories from people today. ​ 3. Creating a circulating resource and program for Lafayette residents to record their own histories The goal of the Lafayette Public Library’s Oral History Project is to preserve the diverse voices of Lafayette for posterity. Oral storytelling allows for a deeper and more textured look into both the lives that shaped our community and how the community has shaped our lives. We hope to look back at our community’s history to gain understanding of where we have been to better imagine a more inclusive and equitable future.