OUR VISION

The visitors’ attention is immediately caught by the glass display case exhibiting colorful storytelling dolls and puppets.  As a backdrop, there’s a collection of Jonesborough Storytelling Festival posters throughout the years.  Visitors see a collection of primitive instrument that once accompanied the performances. The large room on the main floor is lined with shelves of books and journals.   In an adjoining room, computers are being used to view a collection of DVDs. Viewers can see Jackie Torrance, Doc McConnell, Ray Hicks and other famous storytellers who are no longer with us.  In another room, a listening library is available as visitors use ear phones to listen to the CDs of vocal nuances of master tellers

Students in storytelling help visitors and are able to use the many resources when no one needs their help.  Down the hall, a group of academic scholars use the rare book collection to collaborate on a research project.

On the main floors, both in the small meeting rooms and the larger collection spaces, there are glass fronted cases exhibiting storytelling memorabilia from all around the world: story masks, storytelling dolls, memory devices for tellers, handwritten stories, costumes, puppets and photographs of storytelling, just to mention a few types of artifacts. 

Visitors to Jonesborough from all over the country/world congregate and listen to stories. To their surprise, they are invited to join the story conversation and to share their stories or to participate in a workshop to learn how to collect their family stories.  Special events are scheduled throughout the year to provide year-a-round storytelling to the visitors and to the surrounding communities.  The Storytelling Resource Place is recognized as the place to experience the rich heritage of storytelling.