This online oral history project is an online database of writings about the LGBTQ community and a way to preserve that information. The beginnings of this project came from a man by the name of Jonathen Ned Katz. After writing book in the 1970’s he wanted to keep the conversation alive and moving. Once he saw the importance and impact computer would have, that is when he decided to create a website. This conversation includes an outlet to not only begin an archive for this community, but also to expand the audience and find new solutions to the archive problem. Katza believes that there are archives throughout the world for the LGBTQ community yet they are hardly accessible and usually quite small.
This website was reinvigorated with a new look and transferred to the software, Omeka in 2011. The website consists of timelines, a blog, and written material about the subject from multiple leading experts on the matter. once I began working on learning the ins and outs of the website design and organization it was easy to understand. The website is organized so the user can organize what will pop up by dates, times, or subjects. After the user specifies it down to a single topic or event there is certain interviews or papers that can be read. I understand most of this website to be archival but at the same time creates arguments for these topics and is in no way unbiased.
The things that could be worked on are on a more technical note. The website is on Omeka yet I do not feel that the oral history project is using Omeka for what it was created to do. The website is using it as a place to exhibit but the amount of information and how it is edited makes it look very cluttered. Another point that could be worked on is the blog section of the oral history project. It has not been updated on since 2017 and i believe that may also include the totality of the website as well. Overall the website is very informative and has a large amount of resources that can be easily accessible.
