Check Out the DSNY Oral History Archive, Developed by Robin Nagle and Draper Students

Freshkills, March 2011 (Photo: Robin Nagle)

In spring 2011, Draper and Museum Studies students in Robin Nagle's "Oral History, Labors of Waste, and the Value of Knowledge" class had the opportunity to launch a new online oral history archive unlike any other currently in existence--one which is dedicated to New York City's Department of Sanitation and Freshkills Park. The oral history projects begun in this class have been collected into one website: the newly-launched DSNY and Freshkills Park Oral History Archive.

Over the course of the spring semester, students conducted interviews with individuals deeply involved with both the history and future of the DSNY and Freshkills Park. Interviewees featured on the website include current and retired sanitation workers and DSNY employees, spouses of sanitation workers, a former resident of Freshkills (before it was converted to a landfill), the administrator of Freshkills Park, and many others.

In the long term, Robin hopes that "the DSNY Oral History Project will have 100 voices from all corners of Sanitation life. Similarly, the Freshkills Park Oral History Project will have recollections from neighbors, workers and planners whose lives intersected with or continue to shape the Park’s future." For now, the website marks a vibrant start to a project that will undoubtedly develop and expand in the coming years.

Check out the archive's website to find out more about the motivation for the project, the narrators who shared their stories and experiences, and listen to full and excerpted interviews.

You can also read a recent article on silive.com about the project: "How Does Your Garbage Disappear from the Curb? Hear from the People Who Make It Happen."

What Would You Bring?

http://the-burning-house.com/

This website project asks people to list the belongings they would bring with them if their house were burning down: "It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question."

Happy Year of the Hare!

Happy Chinese New Year!
Learn more about your Chinese Zodiac sign here.

10 Tips on How to Write Less (via The Chronicle of Higher Ed)

An article of interest that Robin Nagle wants to share with the Draper community:

I urge you to read this. The author has loads of good advice about writing -- what it is, what it isn't, how to stress about it less, how to get more of it done. 

http://chronicle.com/article/10-Tips-on-How-to-Write-Less/124268/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

-Robin

Tips for New Graduate Students (via ProfHacker)

Greetings and salutations, Draper students!

This post from ProfHacker, a very useful higher-ed blog, claims to be for first-year PhD students. In fact, it's applicable to *any* first-year grad student in the humanities or social sciences. I encourage you to read through it; it is rich with wisdom.

-- Robin

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/An-Open-Letter-to-New-Graduate/26326/