Residents of Gainesville have an opportunity to have their stories archived in the Library of Congress or to potentially be featured on National Public Radio.
StoryCorps is partnering with WUFT-FM to record and share the stories of the people of Gainesville from Feb. 6 to March 7 as a part of its countrywide MobileBooth tour.
“We feel that everyone has a story to share and that everyone’s story matters,” said Jesse Gutierrez, an outreach coordinator at StoryCorps.
StoryCorps interviews are usually conducted between two friends or family members and are guided by a StoryCorps facilitator during a 40-minute recording session, said Gutierrez.
The interview sessions are free with a $25 suggested donation.
At the end of the sessions, participants are given a complimentary CD copy of their session and can choose to have their stories archived at the Library of Congress.
Sue Wagner, WUFT-FM’s director of community relations, said the most interesting stories will be aired as part of WUFT-FM’s Morning Edition show on Fridays at 6:28 and 8:28 a.m.
“It’s basically an opportunity for us to give back to the community, to reach the community and allow them to share their stories,” Wagner said.
Wagner said people have already begun calling WUFT-FM asking when they can make an appointment with the StoryCorps MobileBooth. When the program came to Gainesville in 2008, appointments were completely filled within the first 30 minutes.
“Anyone can come to our booth. There’s no one specific that we’re looking for,” Gutierrez said. “We want the full flavor of Gainesville.”
The MobileBooth will be stationed at the Alachua County Library District Headquarters at 401 E. University Ave.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to document their lives and also their loved ones’ lives,” said Gutierrez. “How many chances do we get to have something like a recording of our grandparent in our back pocket?”
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 1/17/2014 under the headline "StoryCorps to give local residents voice with recorded interviews"
