Georgia State to serve as home to the Oral History Association

The FINANCIAL — Georgia State University will become the new headquarters of the Oral History Association, a national organization dedicated to gathering and preserving historical information through recorded interviews. In addition, GSU history professor Clifford Kuhn will become the OHA’s first executive director.

“The OHA’s decision to come to GSU reflects the university’s already strong track record in oral history, and promises to make us even more of a powerhouse in the field,” Kuhn said. Kuhn himself is a leader in the field, having served as OHA president in 2000-2001.Kuhn said the move is a great opportunity for Georgia State and that the relationship between the two organizations will greatly benefit both parties.

Mary Larson of Oklahoma State University and current president of the OHA says that the move to Georgia State represents the next stage in OHA's evolution.

“We're all very excited about the new opportunities this arrangement presents for both our organization and GSU,” she said. “We are particularly impressed by the level of support and enthusiasm on the part of Georgia State's administration, and we look forward to working with them in the future," she continued.

As Georgia State University reported, the partnership with the OHA will benefit Georgia State through speakers and conferences coming to campus, enhancement of the History department’s successful public history program, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between all oral history practitioners at our university and within the larger community, Kuhn said.

The Oral History Association was established in 1966, seeking to bring together people interested in the subject as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories to foster knowledge. With an international membership, the OHA serves a broad and diverse audience, including local historians, librarians and archivists, museum professionals, students, journalists, teachers, and academic scholars from many fields. In addition to fostering communication among its members, the OHA encourages standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, dissemination and uses of oral testimony.