Historical commission approves partnership with Southborough Access Media for oral-history project

The Southborough Historical Commission voted to pursue an alliance with Southborough Access Media (SAM) to host oral-history videos and related material, formalizing a plan to collect short interviews and scan historic photographs from residents, with Commissioner Kelly O’Brien as project lead.

Commissioners described the project as an outreach and archiving effort: interview residents (initial emphasis on the senior center), record 3–10 minute oral histories, and request optional historical photos to be scanned and cataloged. Commissioners discussed technical options (video or audio-only for camera-shy participants), whether to provide interview questions in advance, where to host the finished material, and how to catalog photos in the commission’s online storage. Commissioners said the goal is to build a county-accessible playlist on SAM’s YouTube channel and to create a searchable photo archive accessible from the commission’s web page.

Kelly O’Brien said she has contact with the senior center and invited help from other commissioners; Michelle volunteered to assist with interviews. Commissioners discussed offering an audio-only option or edited photos-and-audio formats for interviewees who prefer not to appear on camera. They also discussed organizing interviews by neighborhood or topic over time so the archive represents different parts of town and multiple generations. Grant Farrington and others mentioned using the commission’s OneDrive space (set up by town IT) and consulting town IT staff, the town clerk and volunteers for cataloging and storage.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Michelle Miller made the motion to pursue an alliance with Southborough Access Media to host the videos; Commissioner Grant Farrington seconded. The commission took a roll-call vote that recorded unanimous support. The commission’s clerk will follow up to coordinate technical details with SAM and to prepare public outreach (senior center newsletter, online announcements) to solicit interviewees and photos.

Votes at a glance: - Motion: “Pursue an alliance with Southborough Access Media to house the videos that we would create.” Moved by Michelle Miller; seconded by Grant Farrington. Vote: passed (5–0). - Motion: Approve meeting minutes of 01/14/2025. Moved by Michelle Miller; seconded by Grant Farrington. Vote: passed (4–0–1; one commissioner abstained because they were not present at the January meeting). - Motion: Adjourn meeting. Moved by Kelly O’Brien; seconded by Michelle Miller. Vote: passed (5–0).

Following the vote, commissioners agreed steps to begin: Kelly will contact SAM to request technical assistance and hosting; Kelly and volunteers will publicize a call for interview subjects and photos at the senior center and via the commission’s channels; the commission will offer to scan and return loaned photos and to catalog material in the commission’s OneDrive and web pages. Commissioners discussed initial editorial choices such as a short standard question set, target length, and whether interviewers appear on camera or remain off-screen.

Commissioners emphasized retaining control of collected material and establishing clear opt-in consent and usage terms for interviewees. The commission flagged potential next steps: coordinate with town IT and the clerk on access and public records implications, prepare a short outreach announcement, and begin pilot interviews with senior center participants in the coming weeks.