The Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College and Community Television for the Southern Berkshires (CTSB) have started a collaborative project that will highlight stories about people and the work they do. We will begin with 10 interviews. With those 10 people, we will talk with people who work more or less behind the scenes, work that is invisible, or work not as much noticed as some other occupations.
So far, we have interviewed Boland Theater (BCC) Technical Director Alzie Mercado. For now, it is on our You Tube channel and at CTSB, and destined for the Digital Commonwealth archive, too.
Next up is Cristina Markham, who tunes pianos. How does a person find this niche, the work of a piano technician? What is it like?
By early to mid Fall, we will start to post the interviews. These are oral histories using a life narrative approach, so they begin with childhood, but the focus is work, and so these interviews will be interesting in themselves, but they may also be useful for students and others considering their own work lives.
BUT, if you look around our site,you will see much of what we and and our partners do relates directly to this project about work. After all, isn’t it one thing that we all have in common?
For example, look at this interview with a BCC alumna, a nurse, from the BCC Oral History Project.
If you know of someone you think we should interview, please let us know. At this moment, we are looking specifically for people who work in kitchens and hospitality, public safety, various trades, such as an electrician, carpenter, architect, etc.
And we are open to all ideas.