One Community. Many Voices.

Our Mission

Our primary mission is to gather, preserve, and promote living histories of individuals from all walks of life.

At the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, we believe that oral history is an indispensable method of studying the past. Listening carefully to first-person narratives can change the way we understand history—not to mention the way we approach scholarly questions as well as contemporary public policy debates. The passionate and poignant stories found in many oral history interviews serve as a great tool to excite and encourage people of all ages to study the past.

We strive to promote the thousands of invaluable oral narratives that have been entrusted to our care. Above all, SPOHP engages in active research projects designed to broaden the scope and scale of our historical knowledge. We strive to make existing as well as emerging collections accessible to as wide an audience as possible through written transcripts, digital archives, podcasts, radio broadcasts, public programs, and other venues.

SPOHP teaches the craft and intellectual traditions of oral history through university seminars as well as through community-based workshops, and via our web site and other media. In addition, SPOHP consults on an ongoing basis with local historians, civic leaders, and educators in Florida and beyond who are interested in initiating oral history projects in their towns and municipalities.

SPOHP is committed to engaging in the scholarly and educational life of the University of Florida, our state, as well as the broader world through public history programs, academic conferences, and scholarly collaborations.

Interested in becoming a part of SPOHP? Check out our Volunteer Page!

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