Flint Public Library Announces StoryCorps Grant Award
Flint, MI – March 9, 2015: Flint Public Library is very pleased to announce it has won a 2015 StoryCorps @ your library grant from the American Library Association. This project will kick off in May 2015.
StoryCorps’ mission is to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve and share their stories. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 50,000 interviews with over 90,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded, and then preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
More than 300 libraries applied for the 10 StoryCorps @ your library slots. Just as in Flint, libraries across the country are engaged with their communities and are eager to document and preserve their unique histories. The grant equips and trains library staff on interview collection, digital recording and preservation. Libraries receive a 2-day in-person training, a $2,500 stipend for project-related expenses, portable recording equipment, and programming and promotion support from StoryCorps.
“This is an exciting award,” says Kay Schwartz, Library Director. “With the new City Master Plan, Flint is writing a new story, one its young people will own. StoryCorps will capture oral histories to help our community celebrate its remarkable past while embracing a transformative future. We will connect the voices of young people with the voices of their elders to imagine Flint together.”
The Library partners with local youth employment and summer programs each year and will offer this opportunity to them. Youth participating in StoryCorps will gain invaluable employment skills in organization, public interaction, conversation and follow-through. Youth programming partners include the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, Flint Community Schools, and Genesee Intermediate School District. The StoryCorps @ Flint Public Library program will also welcome individuals, families, groups, and organizations to take advantage of this opportunity to tell and record their stories.
Why did FPL pursue this grant opportunity? “The Flint Public Library is a place for learning, and learning doesn’t only come from books,” continues Schwartz. “StoryCorps will give all of us a chance to learn from our neighbors by listening to their stories. In transforming Flint, every voice matters, and this project will give everyone a chance to be heard.”
Flint is rich in experiences and stories that can be shared. Start thinking now about what you might want to record for future generations. Look for more announcements this summer about how you can tell your story through this exciting program.
About Flint Public Library: Flint Public Library’s vision is to be the go-to place in Flint for learning across the lifespan. We encourage formal and informal learning for all ages, in all mediums, for all of life. Learn more at www.fpl.info.
