Explore professional relationship building and discuss networking connections within the oral history field in this public workshop.
About this event
Part of the 2023-24 OHMA Public Workshop Series:
Mentorship, Networking, and Relationship Building for Oral Historians
This workshop will serve the dual purposes of a) teaching and discussing the methods and benefits of professional relationship building within the OH field (and the wider cultural and information professions) and b) creating a real time space where participants can network and make connections for the future
The teaching and discussion portion of the workshop will address:
Why building meaningful and sustainable professional relationships is valuable;
An exploration of opportunities for mentoring and networking in a variety of forms;
Tips & tricks for successful networking and professional relationship building
The interactive portion of the workshop will include:
Multiple opportunities for break-out groups in which participants will be matched with other participants (based on areas of interest/study, geographical location, and/or at random) and given prompts for discussion to foster connection
A talk-back component for all participants in order to reflect on what’s been learned in the workshop and to share other thoughts and opportunities related to networking and relationship building
This workshop is for anyone in the oral history field or in oral history-adjacent professions.
Workshop Lead:
Ellen Brooks is an oral history producer and consultant and has been doing freelance work since 2020. Most recently, she worked with WiLS (Wisconsin Library Services) on the IMLS grant-funded Accelerating Promising Practices project and with the Smithsonian Archives of American Art on a transcription management project. Prior to her contract work, Ellen worked as the Oral Historian for the State Archives of North Carolina (January 2019 - August 2020) and as the Oral Historian for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum (2013-2018).
Ellen found her way to oral history through a passion for storytelling and public history. She graduated from the Oral History Master of Arts program at Columbia University in 2013. She enjoys welcoming new voices into the oral history space, both practitioners and narrators. Ellen’s professional interests include archival practices, podcasting, mentorship and network building, and the intersection of all these with oral history.
Workshops will be 2 or 3 hours long and will feature interactive elements. Registration will be on a sliding scale, with registration free for participants based outside of the United States, and starting at $5 otherwise.
All events will be hosted either in person or online via Zoom. They are open to the public with pre-registration required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.