Compact audio cassette tapes hit the American consumer market around 1969 and because of that technology, this collection contains oral histories prior to that. It was common throughout the 1970s and into the 1990s to duplicate older audio tapes such as reel to reel tapes onto new audio cassettes in order to preserve those older recordings and make them easier to listen to. The oldest oral histories in this collection were recorded in 1953 and captured experiences of long-time Manhasset residents discussing their life prior to 1900. As of August 2023, this is the oldest recorded oral histories on the New York Heritage platform.
Scope of Collection
This collection contains taped interviews of Manhasset residents that date from 1953 to 1988. Transcripts of these oral histories have also been uploaded. The people found on these recordings discuss growing up in and around Manhasset as well as how the library, businesses, agriculture, transportation, and many other areas of interest that affected their lives growing up in Manhasset. The collection also includes two musical performances.
These recordings were digitized through the Manhasset Public Library’s partnership with LILRC’s Accessing Archives Program in August 2023.
