Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Oral History Commission Receives NEH Grant

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 3, 2011) — The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) Foundation has received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which will enable the Kentucky Oral History Commission (KOHC) to fund a project entitled “Pass the Word: The Guide to Oral History in Kentucky.”

“Pass the Word” will survey oral history holdings in repositories across Kentucky and create a comprehensive, online database, enabling researchers and educators alike to easily locate oral history collections and interviews held in libraries and archives throughout the state.

Over the course of the next two years, KHS will hire one full-time archivist and two summer interns to complete the project. “Pass the Word” is expected to be completed and ready for use by 2013. “Kentucky has been a leader in the field of oral history,” said Sarah Milligan, administrator of the Kentucky Oral History Commission. “This project will continue that unique and forward-thinking tradition.”

The KOHC, administered by the Kentucky Historical Society, has served oral history needs in Kentucky since 1976.  The Commission encourages documentation of statewide, regional and community historical events through technical assistance in conducting oral history interviews, grant funding to support developed oral history projects, and preservation assistance for oral history repositories throughout the state.

For more information Kentucky Oral History Commission, visit www.history.ky.gov/oralhistory, or contact Sarah Milligan, KOHC administrator, at 502-564-1792, ext. 4434 or Sarah.Milligan@ky.gov.