Author finds inspiration in Brookens' oral history collection

Melinda McDonald, of Springfield, is the author of Water and Fire, a work of historical fiction set during the city's 1908 race riot.

When she was researching the book, one of McDonald's principal sources was the oral history collection housed in the archives at Brookens Library at UIS. "Those were very, very helpful," she noted.

An article about McDonald and her book appeared in the June 9, 2008, Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times-Courier.

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20080609-JGTC-AuthorUsesOralHistoryCollection.pdf

Materials from UIS Archives to be part of State Museum project

As part of the ongoing Illinois Oral History Project, researchers from the Illinois State Museum are scouring the state to record and preserve "the back roads" of its agricultural history.

Dozens of audiotapes made and archived at UIS' Brookens Library will be included in the project, which is scheduled to be available online in the near future.

An article in the May 27, 2008, Arlington Heights Daily Herald outlined the project.

Download a pdf file of the article

20080527-DH-OralHistory.pdf