College of Education and Human Development

Center for the Study of Lives

Purpose and Function

The Center for the Study of Lives was established in 1988 as a research, educational, and service unit of the University of Southern Maine to celebrate individual lives and strengthen community bonds by bringing people of all generations together to share life stories. While serving as a meeting ground for all people interested in learning from each other's stories, the Center has coordinated an on-going effort to record, preserve, and disseminate the life stories of people of all ages and backgrounds. 

The Center is founded upon the belief that every person has an important story to tell about the life they have lived. Stories shared between multigenerational and multicultural groups become teaching tools by which we can gain a greater appreciation of both our commonalities and differences. Sharing our stories helps us to recognize that we are all members of the human family. 

Service The Center is committed to promoting a sense of community by locating and recognizing those individuals whose life stories might contribute to strengthening bonds between people . The Center collaborates with community agencies and organizations to sponsor public programs involving the exchange of life stories that are of interest to general audiences. 

Research The Center utilizes the resources of the University and the community to undertake research projects that record and document life stories. These research activities are the basis for building an archive of personal documents and life stories of state, regional, national, worldwide, and multicultural significance used by families, communities, and researchers of all levels to gain a deeper understanding of generational change, and how individuals grow and develop across the life span. 

Education The Center offers educational programs and professional development opportunities for students, teachers, counselors, adult educators, other service providers, and the general public to better understand how people see their own lives as a whole, and how to do life story interviews. These activities include public forums, lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, courses, public television and radio presentations, and publications.