The Southborough Historical Commission on Jan. 14 endorsed a project to record oral histories from longtime residents and to scan historical photographs for archival use, assigning Building Department staffer Kelly O’Brien to lead initial interviews and outreach.

Why it matters: Commissioners said capturing recollections and photographs now is timely ahead of the town’s tricentennial and will preserve memories that might otherwise be lost. Chair Kevin Miller described the proposal as a way to “preserve your fondest memories of Southborough” and recommended moving forward informally while the project’s details are finalized.

Project details and format: The commission discussed a proposed script and outreach plan. Miller read the draft project description, saying, “The interviews would last 10 to 30 minutes,” and commissioners generally favored a short, prompt-driven format. Commissioners recommended offering both video and audio-only options to make participation easier for seniors or anyone uncomfortable on camera. Annie Pfaff said an audio option would likely increase participation, and Michelle Hokanson suggested using a still image if posting audio on YouTube so all material could be stored on a single channel.

Outreach, storage and publication: The draft asked participants to contact historical@southboroughma.com or Kelly O’Brien directly; commissioners discussed whether contact should funnel through the commission email or go straight to O’Brien. Michelle Hokanson and others suggested a sign-up sheet or a drop box at the Senior Center for people who prefer to leave a phone card instead of emailing. The commission also discussed whether to host the finished recordings on a new Historical Commission channel or to coordinate with Southborough Access Media (SAM) for broader visibility and playback on the town’s video channels.

Next steps and direction: Commissioners agreed that O’Brien may start informal interviews and outreach immediately and that the commission would return to set formal interview prompts, storage procedures and release forms at a future meeting. The commission asked for a modest approach to publicity and to avoid promising book publication at this stage; Miller said, “Let's get the photos and get that rolling.”

Ending: The commission encouraged O’Brien to proceed informally and asked staff to return with a proposed set of prompts, a plan for audio/video handling and a recommendation on whether to host the material on a commission channel or via SAM.