African Americans in Harrisonburg oral histories

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Access to the Oral Histories is governed by agreements with the narrators. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], African Americans in Harrisonburg Oral Histories, 1978-1979, SdArch 0005, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.46 cubic feet 7 folders, 15 audiocassettes, 15 cds
Creator:
Ramsey, Inez Linn, 1938-2025
Abstract:
African Americans in Harrisonburg Oral Histories, 1978-1979, is comprised of audio recordings, transcripts, photographs and background research of interviews with black residents of Harrisonburg, conducted by students under the supervision of Inez L. Ramsey, Professor of Library Science and Secondary Education at James Madison University.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], African Americans in Harrisonburg Oral Histories, 1978-1979, SdArch 0005, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The African Americans in Harrisonburg Oral Histories, 1978-1979, is comprised of audio recordings, transcripts, photographs and background research of interviews with black residents of Harrisonburg, conducted by students under the supervision of Inez L. Ramsey, Professor of Library Science and Secondary Education at James Madison University.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Inez Ramsay was a librarian and professor of JMU from 1975 until her retirement in 1998. In 1978, Ramsay served as the project director for the summer workshop, "Oral Tradition and Storytelling in the Black Community of Harrisonburg," in which she worked with six JMU students to conduct interviews that would "reconstruct the kind of lives black people in Harrisonburg have lived over the years." Legal releases from interviewees were obtained in 1991 and 1992.

Acquisition information:
Collection was donated on June 4, 1991 by Dr. Inez Ramsey.
Processing information:

Collection was cataloged at the item level in 1993; the descriptive metadata was compiled into a Finding Aid format in 2019. Cassette tapes were transferred to MAMA-R 700MB gold cd-r using Tascam cc-222 mkII; 618mb. Audio recordings were digitized by Kirsten Mlodynia, Digital Project Specialist at JMU Libraries in July 2018.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard