Memory Lane

Memory Lane, established at the Museum of Oxford in 2010, was the result of a collaboration between the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and the Oxford University Museums Partnership (a consortium of the Oxford University Museums, Oxfordshire County Museums Service, Banbury Museum and Oxford City Council).

The sessions were initially facilitated by the Reminiscence Officer who introduced a particular topic for discussion, provided structure and inspiration using PowerPoint presentations and objects, and was supported by volunteers who provided refreshments and welcomed the participants. The sessions were also recorded to preserve the oral history of the participants and Oxfordshire. The group fed into exhibitions at the Museum of Oxford and recordings have also been included in listening posts in temporary exhibitions and permanent galleries, quotes for exhibition panels, photos and documents for reproduction in exhibition panels for display, objects for exhibition display or accession to the collection and oral history content for radio documentaries.

“Well, you meet really, really wonderful people and the connection to people is what’s vital… I mean you don’t have to talk about issues or problems but just a connection that is important to start working in that direction, that you’re not alone”

Participant in Memory Lane project
(cited in Hamblin, K.A. (2016) Research Report: Museums, Oral History, Reminiscence and Wellbeing: Establishing Collaboration and Outcomes.)

The full Research Report of Museums, Oral History, Reminiscence and Wellbeing: Establishing Collaboration and Outcomes and its Executive Summary are available to download on the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing website.

Please watch below Helen Fountain, Reminiscence Officer, Oxford University Museums & Kate Hamblin, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford Institute for Population and Ageing presenting at the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference, September 2016.

Memories under the microscope
 

Memories under the Microscope

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ki-Taxs3T60?wmode=opaque&controls=&rel=0