A few thoughts on Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - implications for oral history collecting

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book and includes an example of how not to run an oral history program in a university library. There are issues of informed consent as some people were talking about criminal activities they had undertaken including murders, a lack of clear policies, secrecy and more. A lot of this has implications for local studies collections in public libraries and it shows the need of following good practice with oral history programs and their recordings. Public library oral history programs are unlikely to be interviewing people about their criminal activities and making promises about who can access the recordings (ignoring legal processes).

It is as the subtitle says a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland - with a focus on action from the IRA (and the not Unionist groups). It is a pacy, compelling and depressing read.

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A few thoughts on Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong, Lin Jie Kong

Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the television series this book is based on, and I loved this book. It is an exploration of the history of regional Chinese restaurants in Australia. It encouraged me to try more of these and I had some lovely meals as a result of this exploration. This book is an important work for local studies as it shows the importants of documenting a variety of perspectives, and valuing the ordinary. An excellent read, and it should serve as inspiration for people considering oral history recording or documentary photographs.

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A few thoughts on Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera

 

Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While this book has the subtitle - How imperialism has shaped modern Britain - it is relevant to all the countries which were part of this empire, including Australia. As well as being a book which looks at international history, it is also a brilliant book for how we consider local studies with several sections showing the exclusion of histories of people who are brown or black from library collections. It includes a calling out of inaccurate information which removes key people of colour from the centre of historic events.

This was an amazing book to listen to (which I did because my library did not have a print edition for me to borrow). The listening turned out to be a key element with outstanding narration helping to drive home some of the points made.

This is an important book to read and listen to. It will be of interest to those who watched the series , What the British stole .

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A few thoughts on The outback court reporter - it is a local studies book for some communities.

The Outback Court Reporter by Jamelle Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This audiobook read by the author takes a detailed look at the activities of courts in outback parts of Australia. It is a very interesting look at the range of court matters as well as providing local anecdotes and information. This is a book which locations mentioned in it should consider for their local studies collections. It includes family experiences with health services in more remote areas too.

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A few thoughts about The art of relevance

The Art of Relevance by Nina Simon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book asks a lot of questions about how museums interpret their relevance. It contains examples from museums, libraries, and other relevant places. It suggests ways to connect with new audiences, and encourages the exploration of partnerships. While written about museums there is much for libraries to ponder. The book challenges complacency.

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