The Library of Congress Veterans History Project: What It Is and How to Contribute

Most war stories are never written down. They are told at kitchen tables, at reunions, or not at all, and when the teller dies the story usually goes too. The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress exists to change that. It is a national archive of firsthand accounts from American veterans, built almost entirely by volunteers: family members, students, neighbors, and veterans themselves. This guide explains what the project is, who can take part, and exactly what the Library asks for when you send a collection.

What the Veterans History Project is

Congress created the project in 2000 through the Veterans' Oral History Project Act, which became Public Law 106-380 on October 27, 2000. The Library of Congress notes that the bill passed by a unanimous vote in both the House and the Senate. The law's stated purpose was to collect audio and video recordings of American war veterans' personal histories "so that Americans of all current and future generations may hear directly from veterans" and better understand what service in wartime involved.

The project sits within the Library's American Folklife Center, the division that oversees it. Its scale is now considerable. In early 2026 the Library of Congress Magazine described the archive as holding more than 121,000 collections. These include recorded interviews, original photographs, letters, diaries, and unpublished memoirs.

What makes the collection valuable to historians is that it is made of primary sources. A veteran describing basic training in their own voice is a different kind of evidence from a textbook summary. The Library preserves those accounts and makes many of them searchable to the public.

Who can be included

The Library's participation guidelines are broad. Veterans from all branches and ranks who served at any point since World War I are eligible. Combat service is not required. A cook, a clerk, a mechanic, or a nurse has a story that belongs in the record just as much as an infantry rifleman does.

In 2016 the project's scope grew. The Gold Star Families Voices Act, signed November 28, 2016, extended the project to immediate family members of service members who died as a result of their wartime service. The law defines an immediate family member as a parent, spouse, sibling, or child. For many families this is the only way a loved one's story can enter the national archive, told by the people who knew them best.

The person recording the interview does not need special credentials. According to the Library, anyone may volunteer to record an oral history interview, including students ages 15 or older. Veterans may also submit their own collections.

What you can contribute

There are two main kinds of collection, and you can combine them.

A recorded interview

The core of most collections is an audio or video interview. The Library is firm about one requirement: an interview must be at least 30 minutes long, or it will not be accepted. The Library's 2021 announcement of its updated field kit also asks that the interview recording be sent unedited. Thirty minutes may sound like a lot, but most veterans fill it easily once they start talking about where they grew up, why they joined, and what they remember. A full transcript is not required, though you will fill out a log of the main topics covered.

Original papers and photographs

If an interview is not possible, for example because the veteran has died, a collection can be built from original materials instead. The Library accepts original photographs, original correspondence, and unpublished diaries or journals from the period of service. The minimum is 20 pages of written manuscript and/or 10 original photographs or letters. An interview can also be combined with these materials.

The field kit and its forms

Everything you need is in the VHP Field Kit, which the Library offers free as a fillable PDF, in electronic Braille, and as an audio version. The Library also publishes each form separately. The kit includes:

• Cover Letter
• Biographical Data Form
• Veteran's Release Form
• Interviewer's and Volunteer's Release Form
• Media and Formats Standards
• Audio and Video Recording Log (Interview Notes Form)
• Photograph Log
• Manuscript Data Sheet

Read the kit from start to finish before the interview. The Library's own instruction is to follow each step so the submission meets all requirements, and the step-by-step process is laid out inside the kit itself. The fillable version carries repeated details such as names and addresses from one form to the next, and it allows electronic signatures. The Library has said that older versions of the kit are still accepted.

What the Veteran's Release Form means

The Veteran's Release Form is marked as required. Families sometimes worry about what they are signing, so it is worth reading closely. In plain terms, the form does three things:

• It transfers ownership of the physical items in the collection, such as original photographs and letters, to the Library of Congress.
• It gives the Library a permanent, nonexclusive, worldwide right to use, reproduce, display, and distribute the materials, at no cost.
• It states that the veteran keeps any copyright they hold. Because the license is nonexclusive, the family can still use the same story elsewhere.

When the veteran has died, the person donating the materials completes the form. The form also states that the Library may dispose of materials it considers inappropriate under its own procedures.

Sending a collection, step by step

1. Read the guidelines. Start with the Library's participation pages at loc.gov/vets to confirm the veteran and the materials qualify.
2. Download the field kit. Print it or use the fillable PDF. Review the sample interview questions it contains.
3. Complete the forms with the veteran. Fill in the Biographical Data Form and the release forms that apply to your collection.
4. Record the interview or gather the materials. Keep an eye on the clock so the interview reaches 30 minutes. Our guide to recording a veteran's story covers equipment, setting, and questions.
5. Log what you have. Use the Recording Log for the interview and the Photograph Log or Manuscript Data Sheet for papers and pictures.
6. Ship the collection. The Library asks that collections be sent by UPS or FedEx to: Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20540-4615.

If you have a question at any stage, the project can be reached by email at vohp@loc.gov or by phone at 888-371-5848, as listed by the Library in 2026.

After the collection arrives

Once a collection is processed, it becomes part of a research archive used by historians, teachers, students, and families. The project's website at loc.gov/vets lets anyone browse and search collections, with filters such as military branch, service location, and conflict. The Library also features individual collections and builds online presentations from them.

That public access is the point, but it also means you should talk with the veteran before the interview about what will be shared. Some veterans speak more freely once they understand who the audience will be. Our article on oral history ethics covers consent, privacy, and how to handle hard memories with care.

Getting the most from your contribution

A few habits make a collection more useful to the people who will one day study it:

• Get names, places, and dates right. Unit names, base locations, and years are what researchers search for. If the veteran is unsure, a copy of the service record can help fill gaps. See how to find military service records.
• Let the veteran talk about ordinary days. Food, letters from home, friendships, and boredom are as historically valuable as dramatic events.
• Ask about life before and after service. Coming home is often the part of the story no one has asked about.
• Write down who is in each photograph. An unlabeled picture loses most of its value within a generation.

The project is one of the few places where an ordinary person can add directly to the national record. A single afternoon with a recorder and a set of forms can preserve an account that would otherwise be lost, and place it beside thousands of others in the nation's library.