Reminiscence material in libraries
Reminiscence collections are individual items and boxes containing historical material such as:
- books and audio tapes
- printed and recorded music
- posters, photographs and photocards
- artefacts.
Other reminiscence material is available online, such as the wartime stories described below.
How can I borrow them?
Anyone can borrow these collections. Day centres and care homes will find them particularly useful for people who enjoy remembering the past.
Most of our reminiscence material is kept at our Equal Access Library in Newhaven. You can browse and borrow the collections there, or ask for them to be delivered to your local library.
People’s War archive
Were you or someone you know in the armed forces, a nurse, evacuee or factory worker during World War Two?
We helped people to share and archive the personal, often overlooked stories of those who fought and lived through the war. You can read these stories on the BBC website and also download materials from these events.
Eastbourne oral history and reminiscence project
Eastbourne Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) interviewed local people about memories around the social history of food and drink, and topics around this subject.
You can borrow CDs and transcripts from these interviews.
You can also borrow the four themed boxes of memorabilia created as part of the project, covering:
- food and drink
- house and home
- Chinese memorabilia
- childhood.
Contact us
For more information about borrowing reminiscence collections, please contact our libraries:
