§2142 — Title 20 Education | U.S. Code

Summary

The Director of the American Folklife Center must set up an oral history program to record video and audio stories from veterans who served during a time of war and to collect biographical accounts from immediate family members of service members who were missing in action or died because of their service. The program must create a searchable collection with a catalog and index, make it available to the public through the Library of Congress’s National Digital Library and other ways as resources allow, and gather written items like letters and diaries that relate to veterans’ personal histories. The Director may work with other government or private groups, consult interested people, and make rules for collecting and sharing materials as resources permit. The Director must begin collecting recordings as soon as possible after October 27, 2000, and should try to record the oldest veterans first. “Immediate family member” means a parent, spouse, sibling, or child.

Title 20, §2142

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program—

(1)to collect video and audio recordings of—

(A)personal histories and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war; and

(B)biographical histories by immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces who became missing in action or died as a result of their service during a period of war;

(2)to create a collection of the recordings obtained (including a catalog and index) which will be available for public use through the National Digital Library of the Library of Congress and such other methods as the Director considers appropriate to the extent feasible subject to available resources; and

(3)to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the Director considers appropriate, consistent with and complimentary 11 So in original. Probably should be “complementary”. to the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

(b)The Director may carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships entered into with other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with interested persons (within the limits of available resources) and develop appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting, acquiring, and making available recordings under the program under this subchapter.

(c)As soon as practicable after October 27, 2000, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio recordings under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such recordings from the oldest veterans.

(d)For purposes of subsection (a), the term “immediate family member” means a parent, spouse, sibling, or child.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2016—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–246, § 2(a), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war;”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 114–246, § 2(b), added subsec. (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

National Public Awareness and Participation Campaign for Veterans’ History Project of American Folklife Center Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title V, § 594, Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1771, provided that: “(a) In General.—The Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress shall carry out a national public awareness and participation campaign for the program required by section 3(a) of the Veterans’ Oral History Project Act (20 U.S.C. 2142(a)). Such campaign shall provide for the following:“(1) Encouraging the people of the United States, veterans organizations, community groups, and national organizations to participate in such program. “(2) Ensuring greater awareness and participation throughout the United States in such program. “(3) Providing meaningful opportunities for learning about the experiences of veterans. “(4) Complementing the efforts supporting the readjustment and successful reintegration of veterans into civilian life after service in the Armed Forces. “(b) Coordination and Cooperation.—To the degree practicable, the Director shall, in carrying out the campaign required by subsection (a), coordinate and cooperate with veterans service organizations. “(c) Veterans Service Organization Defined.—In this section, the term ‘veterans service organization’ means any organization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.”

§2142 Establishment of Program at American Folklife Center to Collect Video and Audio Recordings of Histories of Veterans