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How to Participate (Veterans History Project)
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How to Participate » What We Collect
How to Participate:

More Information:

Educators and students
Eagle Scout Leadership Project
Frequently asked questions

What We Collect

The focus of the Veterans History Project is first-hand accounts of U.S. veterans and civilians who supported them in these wars:

  • World War I (1914-1920)
  • World War II (1939-1946)
  • Korean War (1950-1955)
  • Vietnam War (1961-1975)
  • Persian Gulf War (1990-1995)
  • Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)
  • Civilian supporters: war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, etc.

Other stories of service are a secondary focus (please review
this list of other repositories that also collect veterans' materials).

Please Note: PDF files require Acrobat reader, freely available on the Web.

What We Accept

Recording Formats
Video:
  • digital video
  • Hi-8/8mm
  • DVD ( do not copy-protect )
  • Betacam
  • MPEG-2
  • do not use VHS
Audio:
  • audio cassette
  • CD
  • do not use microcassettes
  • do not use DAT

At least 30 minutes long.

Use the highest-quality equipment you can!

Check the Media and Format Standards table

 
Documents & Photos
We also collect:
  • original narratives/memoirs, and wartime diaries or journals of at least 20 pages
  • collections of letters (10 or more)
  • official military documents
  • collections of original photos or artwork (10 or more)
 What about electronic documents?
  • Please submit both electronic and original paper copies of documents
  • Use .txt, .rtf, .gif, .jpg formats when possible

In the absence of an interview, a submission may constitute a collection of several of these items to the left.

Send originals.

VHP will accept any approved material on behalf of living and deceased veterans

What We Cannot Accept

Please Do Not Send:
  • Microcassettes, MP3s, VHS or DAT
  • Photocopies
  • Threedimensional objects or artwork, such as medals, canteens, uniforms, helmets, dog tags, flags, weapons, military equipment, sculpture
  • Framed materials
  • Published works, including books, newspapers, and magazines
  • Interviews done on behalf of veterans or by proxy
  • Group interviews, unit histories, or written compilations of veterans’ stories
  • Interviews or materials of veterans who performed military service for other countries
 Who accepts these items?

DO NOT SUBMIT MATERIALS BEYOND THOSE SPECIFIED. Should any part of the collection be found to include materials that the Library of Congress deems inappropriate for retention with the collection or elsewhere within the Library, the Library may dispose of such material in accordance with its procedures for disposition of materials not needed for the Library’s collections.

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