High Country Times

The App State Oral History Program, led by oral historian and associate professor Mark Coltrain, is dedicated to preserving history through storytelling. Coltrain emphasizes the importance of verbal accounts in filling historical gaps, noting that "ordinary people witness extraordinary things." He highlights the significance of capturing stories not found in textbooks or news articles.

Coltrain oversees the Oral History Program at Appalachian State University and serves as interim coordinator in the Special Collections Research Center. Despite being surrounded by physical historical records daily, he finds conversations captured by audio particularly compelling. According to him, "oral history rounds out a picture of the past in a way that is much more rich and nuanced."

He focuses on documenting voices that have been excluded from recorded history. He also prioritizes interviewing individuals who may be nearing the end of their life due to age or health issues. In 2023, Coltrain interviewed Dr. Rennie Brantz, a longtime App State professor and former Boone mayor who passed away later that year.

Coltrain stresses the importance of interviewing current students as well: "To document students’ memories in the present moment is very important." He believes capturing these fresh perspectives is crucial for an accurate historical record.

Highlighting communities with few written records, such as Boone's Junaluska community—one of Western North Carolina's oldest African American communities—Coltrain underscores storytelling's role in preserving history: "Most of Junaluska’s history has been passed down by elders from generation to generation."

In addition to conducting interviews, Coltrain collaborates with faculty, staff, students, and the community on oral history projects often archived in Special Collections. The center houses over 2,000 oral histories.

App State’s Special Collections Research Center offers more than its Oral History Program. It includes collections like the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection and Stock Car Racing Collection. Greta Browning, associate professor and interim university archivist, says these resources offer "a premiere research experience" and are available to everyone interested.

Browning mentions that inquiries come from various groups including scholars and genealogists: “We regularly field questions from scholars, documentary filmmakers, genealogists and family historians.”

The center aims to enhance community outreach through exhibits such as the MerleFest Archives Collection which preserves festival moments from over 30 years. The collection includes audio-visual materials donated by Wilkes Community College.

An exhibit titled “125 Years in Retrospect” commemorates App State’s anniversary with a timeline showcasing significant events since its founding in 1899.

Located on Belk Library's fourth floor at App State's Boone campus, Special Collections is open to public exploration both physically and digitally. Archives require appointments for access while donations are accepted selectively.

For further details visit collections.library.appstate.edu.

University Libraries at Appalachian State University supports learning across its campuses with resources like Belk Library and Information Commons offering diverse academic facilities.

Appalachian State University stands out within North Carolina’s educational system for its commitment to affordable education accessible nationwide with a broad range of programs available on-campus or online.