Recently the oral history initiative the library and its partners administer, Voices of Princeton, was featured in the Princeton Echo and Town Topics due to a notable success. This spring library staff learned that our proposed project, “Listening for History: Resources for Engagement with the Voices of Princeton Initiative,” had been chosen by the New Jersey State Library and RevolutionNJ as a recipient of their REV 250: Examining the Semiquincentennial through a Jersey Lens grant awards.
Thanks to these local media reporting on our success, I have enjoyed a number of conversations with community members who were made aware of Voices of Princeton and are now recommending people whom they would love to see included in the collection. The excitement felt by those discovering the initiative can be energizing for those of us who steward the project. It calls us back to the original purpose of this community-based effort and the convictions we share — that everyone in the community has a story worth telling, that our history can’t be told through only a few prominent voices, and that the shape of the Voices of Princeton collection shouldn’t be decided solely by those of us leading the initiative through our partner organizations.
Guided in part by these considerations, the library’s grant proposal includes several new projects highlighting the U.S. Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the issuance of the Declaration of Independence. The focus of our effort, as with any Voices of Princeton project, is collecting stories at the local level through two themed initiatives. The first explores the relationship between the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 and the upcoming 2026 celebration. Community members will be invited to share memories of Princeton’s Bicentennial events, reflect on how the community has changed, and compare that commemoration with today — looking ahead to what they hope for the nation’s future. Additionally, we aim to broadly engage all community members — whether they were present for the Bicentennial or not — to share reflections on ‘the unfinished revolution,’ an inclusive programming theme recommended by the American Association for State and Local History. Our goal is to reach young people in Princeton to better understand what they want from their country in the wake of a generational shift in political perspectives, as well as those who were excluded from the promises of the American Revolution or remain marginalized today.
But “Listening for History” won’t stop at advancing the Voices of Princeton initiative. Library staff plan to further develop it to offer new opportunities for promoting and curating oral history in the community and beyond. Several technology upgrades will support those interested in collecting oral histories — not only as volunteers with Voices of Princeton, but also as creators of their own projects. New recording kits for the Library of Things collection will be prepared and available this fall. Community members will be able to borrow the kits to make their own recordings, build collections, and curate personal, family or community histories. A series of tech classes is also in development allowing library staff to support community-based efforts through training and technology skills development. We hope community members will be inspired to join our story-collecting projects outlined above in a way that supports their goals — even if these differ from our own.
One last aspect of this grant-supported project deserves to be mentioned here. Those who work with oral history are understandably focused on collecting stories, preserving them, and archiving them responsibly. But one often overlooked part of the process is curation—making oral histories accessible to the public and highlighting the insights they contain. Through the grant the library hopes to make the project more accessible in two ways. First, by late spring 2026, listening stations will be installed allowing members of the public to access featured stories at the library, the Historical Society of Princeton, the Arts Council of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden. Second, during the summer of 2026, to coincide with the date of the U.S. Semiquincentennial, the library plans to launch a “Voices of Princeton” podcast. The podcast will feature highlights from Voices of Princeton interviews in an accessible, engaging format. The goal is to reach more listeners—especially those who may not consider themselves particularly interested in history but who care deeply about their community. By listening to these stories, by hearing where we’ve come from and how people have experienced it, perhaps we can better understand where we’re going—together.
For questions about the Voices of Princeton initiative, contact us at: voices@princetonlibrary.org.
Support for this project is provided by the New Jersey State Library through its REV 250: Examining the Semiquincentennial through a Jersey Lens.