New Iberia Museum Foundation

THE BAYOU TECHE MUSEUM IN LOUISIANA WILL PRESERVE ITS ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION BY DIGITIZING APPROXIMATELY 300 AUDIO CASSETTES AND VHS TAPES. THE ORAL HISTORIES DOCUMENT THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS OF NEW IBERIA, A COMMUNITY RICH IN HISTORY AND HERITAGE THAT IS A BLEND OF SPANISH, FRENCH, NATIVE AMERICAN, AND AFRICAN CULTURES. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE HIRING OF A PART-TIME ARCHIVIST TO CONVERT AND DIGITIZE AUDIO AND VIDEO TAPES AND ORGANIZE DIGITAL FILES. MUSEUM STAFF WILL PURCHASE COMPUTERS AND CONVERSION EQUIPMENT TO CARRY OUT THE PROJECT. THE DIGITIZED ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON KIOSKS AT THE MUSEUM, ENABLING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, RESEARCHERS, AND THE PUBLIC TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS UNIQUE COMMUNITY THROUGH RESIDENTS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES.