Combining Historical Research and Narrative Inquiry to Create Chronicles and Narratives

Abstract

Stories about the Idaho State Library, chronicles and narratives, are reported in my doctoral dissertation (Wilson, 2005). The chronicles, reconstructed from documents and records, provided a presentation of the people, events, and activities to frame the stories. The narratives, excerpted from interviews, provided the rich description and unique perspectives of the two living State Librarians who directed the agency between 1962 and 2005. The focus of this paper is a presentation and discussion of the use of historical research and narrative inquiry to create chronicles and narratives.