Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0002-7532-4598

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

10-28-2025

Abstract

Background: A look at the process of the creation of an oral history project about Hurricane Katrina at LSU Health New Orleans Libraries.

Description: Hurricane Katrina was a major event for our campus and region. This year is a major anniversary of the event, and we wanted to memorialize the hard work, struggles and stories people had about Hurricane Katrina and its recovery. A search was done to see what oral histories had been done about Hurricane Katrina. Next, we checked with our Institutional Review Board (IRB) to see if approval was needed for the project. Our IRB determined that approval wasn’t needed, and the development of the questions to ask interviewees was started, keeping in mind that this was a traumatic event, questions were focused on how the interviewee’s job was impacted rather than their personal life. Our IT department was asked to generate a list of people in all departments who still worked at LSU Health New Orleans who had also worked at LSU Health New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina happened. People were contacted via email to participate. For people who had left LSU Health New Orleans they were tracked down manually and contacted via email. Once an interview is completed, interviews and their transcripts are edited, with help from a colleague. Interviews will be launched as a collection on our institutional repository and will be available to the public.

Conclusion: Satisfied with project so far, getting good participation. Interviews are still on going, key takeaways and findings will be discussed.

Comments

Paper Presentation from the 2025 South Central Chapter / Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting, Little Rock, October 24-29, 2025.

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