Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Shades of L.A. Oral Histories Now Available Online

Soorah, Philip, and Susan Ahn at the Moongate Restaurant in Panorama City in 1969 (Order #00003268)

In 1991, the Los Angeles Public Library and Photo Friends launched the landmark SHADES OF L.A. project where Los Angeles residents were invited to contribute copies of their family photos to the LAPL Photo Collection. The goal was to establish a photographic archive that truly reflected the cultural diversity of the city of Los Angeles. The project proved to be so successful that the model was copied for the SHADES OF CALIFORNIA project, now archived at the State Library.

Along with the acquisition of photos, oral histories with some of the donors were also conducted. For the first time these interviews, along with transcribed excerpts are now accessible on the Los Angeles Public Library's website through a generous grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. The audio of the twelve oral histories can be found HERE.