What have you got to say for yourself?

That's something that we in Devon Local Studies Service would like know.

Jack Rattenbury, the Devon smuggler had a vivid tale to tell of his life on the east Devon coast in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Other first person accounts of life in Devon and its region held by the library go back a millennium or more. You too can add to this rich record of life in our county. Can you recall everyday things that have changed? Were you or are you in an interesting job? Can you recall any local characters? Do you have any photographs that reflect the changing community? Did you witness a striking event? Did you help to change your community? What does your community mean to you? How does Devon compare with where you come from? If you would like to be involved, please contact us.

First person testimony

Devon Libraries have been collecting documentation of all aspects of life in the county since the 1870s. Most of this is in written form but we have also participated in projects to record the spoken word:

• In 1994 many people contributed to the Devon's Testimony of War project, and this was followed by North Devon at War.
• In 2003 the ReminIscence project run by the University of Exeter, a BBC World War 2 Remembrance project and a cultural diversity initiative funded by Resource, the national body for libraries, museums and archives, are all gathering life stories in conjunction with the Library Service.

How can I contribute?

Contact us, quoting the First Person Testimony initiative:

By e-mail. E-mail your keyboarded account to westcountry.library@devon.gov.uk. It can be as an actual e-mail or as an attachment - Word, RTF or text files are preferred. Any images should be low resolution JPG files, normally no more than 300 pixels high, suitable for the internet. If you wish, you can use the link in this document, but please read the conditions first.

By post. Send a floppy disc, CD-ROM, typescript or even a hand-written account to the County Local Studies Librarian, Exeter Central Library, Castle Street, Exeter EX4 3PQ. Please use A4 paper and leave good margins, including at least one inch (25mm) on the left-hand side so that they can be bound or put in folders. Please do not write on the back of the paper.

By visit. Although we do not have facilities to record interviews, it may be possible to put you in contact with a local project to arrange an interview. There may occasionally be sessions at some libraries where recording can take place, or you can use the People's Network computers to keyboard your reminiscences in any library.

For examples of first person testimony on our website, see:
Written accounts across the centuries.
Eye-witness reports of World War 2.
Testimony of the Forte family of Exeter.

What would I have to agree to?

The Library Service would not seek any copyright in what you supply but we would like your agreement to be able to do the following:

• Retain a copy of your contribution in the Westcountry Studies Library in perpetuity to be made available to researchers now and in the future.
• Place all or part of your contribution on the library's local studies website.
• Use all or part of your contribution in other library publications.
• Use extracts from your contribution in library displays.
• Make your contribution available for use in non-commercial educational or research initiatives.

You would have to let us know if you send us material for which you do not hold the copyright, for example quotations from publications or photographs you have not taken yourself.

What safeguards are there for me?

You would normally only be identified by name and town. If you prefer, your contribution can be more fully anonymous, in which case the we will retain your name and contact details, but will only pass it on to enquirers with your permission. The Library is registered under the Data Protection Act.

Unless you have previously given us permission, your contribution will not be made available to commercial publishers without clearance from yourself. You would have to give us contact details so that we could obtain this. You will of course be free to use your contributions elsewhere.

The Library Service does not operate in the commercial sector. We will not normally pay for the acceptance of personal contributions submitted under this initiative, nor will we pay royalties for their use, or negotiate on your behalf the payment of royalties by other users.

Click on the link below to submit your testimony