Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network

SHOMI Oral History Guide

INTRODUCTION

Oral history refers to the recording of information through interviews with people having firsthand knowledge of past events.

It might be said that we have an almost instinctive desire to pass on our knowledge to future generations and to receive the acquired wisdom of our elders. We have all had the experience of listening to someone tell an interesting story and thought, “Someone really should record this.”

Spoken Heritage Online Multimedia Initiative (SHOMI)

2010-2011 Project:

The Spoken Heritage Online Multimedia Initiative (SHOMI) digitized oral history collections from museums, historical associations and community organizations. In collaboration with the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, these oral history collections were used to create a searchable database.

These oral histories, as well as oral histories gathered during the project, were incorporated into multimedia heritage exhibits developed by museums, historical societies, community organizations and educational institutions.

Heritage Online Multimedia Enrichment Initiative (HOMEI)

This major project, undertaken in 2010-2011, involved the complete transfer of QAHN's vast suite of five regional heritage webmagazines (known collectively as Quebec Heritage Web) to an open-source format; the creation of bilingual versions of all of these webmagazines, a thorough re-design of QAHN's organizational (.org) website; the creation of a substantial amount new multi-media content for the webmagazines (in collaboration with nine QAHN member-organizations); and the development of enhanced linkages with tourism associations in four Quebec regions.