Oral History Collections

Oral History Collections

Johns Hopkins has led several oral history initiatives documenting the history of Hopkins from the point of view of staff, faculty, alumni, and students. Oral histories are planned interviews with participants from across the university that discuss a number of topics, but are focused on the individual’s time at Hopkins and detail their relationship with the institution.

 

These digital collections contain materials from several initiatives and projects. This includes interviews conducted by historian Mame Warren in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the institution and interviews conducted by the Hopkins Retrospective Program.  Also included are the first-generation and limited income (FLI) student oral histories, a collection comprised of interviews with undergraduate students who identify as first-generation and low income (FLI) that are in their final year. There are also interviews conducted by students and faculty as part of courses taught at JHU and from collaborative partners like the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (CTEI).

 

Most interviews feature typed or PDF transcripts available for download. 

All Oral Histories

Search materials from all Johns Hopkins Oral History collections

The collection consists of transcripts and recordings collected by the library, oral history interviews conducted as part of JHU initiatives, and interviews by faculty and students as a part of their coursework. The collection features local Baltimore histories through the voices of community members and documents university history from the point of view of faculty, staff, and students. 

Mame Warren Oral Histories

The collection consists of oral history interviews with Hopkins faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni. Interviews were conducted by Mame Warren in 1999 as research for the 125th anniversary volume: Johns Hopkins. Knowledge for the World. Additional interviews from 2001-2007 were added. 

Hopkins Retrospective Oral Histories

Oral history interviews of Hopkins faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni conducted under the auspices of the Hopkins Retrospective Program, from 2014 to the present. 

First-Generation/FLI Student Oral Histories

Oral history interviews conducted with undergraduate students who identify as first-generation and limited income (FLI) that are in their final year at Johns Hopkins University. Interviews are added to the collection on an annual basis. The interviews date from 2018-2026 with a gap in interviews for the year 2024.