Oral History Program 

Since January 2007, Karst Information Portal (KIP) staff has, in conjunction with the USF Tampa Library’s Oral History program, conducted seven extensive oral history interviews with some of the leading names in karst science in a variety of fields including exploration, cave mapping, and applied ecology.  

The purpose of the karst oral history project is to preserve for future researchers the experiences, thoughts and insights of such prolific karst researchers and authors as Alexander Klimchouk, Derek Ford, and William White. The complete audio recordings of these interviews are available for download via KIP, along with a written transcript for each. The Karst Oral History Project is cataloged for inclusion with the online USF Libraries Oral History Program.

This special collection is the only one of its kind in the karst sciences. Interviews are generally conducted in conjunction with the University’s Best of Karst events, which are organized by the student-run Karst Research Group, or at geological and speleological conferences. These are generally low-cost methods of growing this special collection, especially considering the distinctiveness and archival value of the materials being collected, and interviews will be pursued whenever an opportunity presents itself.

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This project is part of the USF Karst Information Portal.

The karst research community and its knowledge base are fragmented, globally distributed, and highly interdisciplinary. As karst issues move to the forefront of attempts to develop solutions in response to significant human environmental degradation, information integration and linkages promoting collaboration and connectivity among researchers is essential.

The goal is a worldwide information network linking scientists, managers, and explorers, in order to inform research, to enhance collaboration, and to address policy decisions in karst environments.