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Italians in Chicago Project Records

 Collection
Identifier: spe-itac

Scope and Contents

For the oral history component of the project, 114 Italian Americans of various generations were interviewed. These taped interviews were then transcribed and assembled into booklets. This collection is comprised of copies of these transcripts.

Dates

  • 1979 - 1981

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.

Biographical / Historical

The Italians in Chicago Project was a two-year, multi-faceted program undertaken by the Department of History at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided the funding, for the purpose of documenting the Italian American experience in Chicago. The project included oral history interviews, a symposia series and an exhibition at the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center.

Extent

4 Linear Feet (in 8 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history transcripts from interviews with Italian Americans in Chicago; the project was based at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Arrangement

Each transcript is bound separately. The interviews are identified by the subject's name, neighborhood and alpha/numeric code. The transcripts have been arranged alphabetically. Only a few are missing numbers 8, 10, 22, 67 and 70.

Twelve photographs are also included. These are copy prints of images presumably held at the University of Illinois at Chicago (see Related Material note below) and used in an exhibit at the Cultural Center co-sponsored by CPL in 1981. These photos were added to the collection in 2018.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by the project director in 1981.

Related Materials

Other repositories for these transcripts are the Chicago Historical Society, the Italian Cultural Center and the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. The archival collection, which resulted from this project (photos, documents and artifacts), is housed in the Manuscript Department at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle Library.

Title
Guide to the Italians in Chicago Project Records
Status
Completed
Author
Original author unknown. Processed 1981. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Johanna Russ, 2021.
Date
1981
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Unit at Harold Washington Library Center Repository

Contact:
Harold Washington Library Center, 9th Floor
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
Chicago IL 60605 United States
(312) 747-4875