The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and StoryCorps are sharing with the public recorded 9/11 remembrances and a  rotating exhibition of artifacts at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St., in Manhattan. Check out some of those recordings and a story in The New York Times. The above Fox 5 video on the listening station features  Amy Weinstein, an associate curator and oral historian for the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Weinstein and fellow oral historian Jenny Pachucki are working to record 9/11 remembrances - including one for each of the nearly 3,000 attack victims - for a future memorial exhibition. The recordings will also be archived for historical research.

The new listening station at the Preview Site allows visitors to hear memorable 9/11 stories. They can also record their own stories to share with the world in an adjacent sound-proof booth. 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said he's hopeful the listening station will encourage others with similar remembrances to participate in helping the 9/11 Memorial Museum record the history of Sept. 11. UPDATE: Joe spent the morning of March 30 in an interview with NY1, discussing the listening station and the progress of the 9/11 Memorial, which opens next year. Hear what all Joe had to say right here.

UPDATE X2: DNAinfo.com wrote a story about the booth as part of a multimedia report.

9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice M. Greenwald said, “The earliest human civilizations used storytelling to pass down traditions, knowledge, information and history. Today this practice continues to be an important source of documenting historical events. This is perhaps no more evident than with the vast collection of 9/11 oral histories offering a glimpse into the 102 minutes that steered humanity into a new social direction and reshaped the world view.”

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

We tend to go through a lot of tissues around here. I often joke that the 9/11 Memorial should partner with Kleenex, or I should invest in commercial tissue stock. I am one of two oral historians at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.  I've conducted more than 150 interviews that all connect to this very heavy, and often, emotional event. I've listened intently as stories are retold by family members of those who were killed, survivors, first responders, Lower Manhattan residents and school teachers. These are only a few. The list goes on.

While my job is essentially to ask questions with the hope of eliciting meaningful answers for our archive and historical exhibition, there's one question that I am always asked, “How can you listen to so many sad stories all day long?  How do you do this?”

It will always be heartbreaking to listen to a mother talk about losing her child.  And  it will always be difficult to ask people to talk about traumatic, haunting memories. But I will say that while 9/11 was a day of absolute terror, what I do is not about the “bad guys," it is about the “good guys."  I listen to how people came together to help strangers, I hear humble people talk about extreme acts of courage, stories about humanity at its best, and I meet people who picked themselves up despite unthinkable loss, and moved forward because that is what they can do to fight back.  There is nothing more uplifting and inspiring than that.  It is my honor to record these stories.

These powerful memories and stories will form our exhibitions, bring life to this difficult history and let museum visitors know the individuals who were killed.  My team is committed to doing this as thoroughly as we possibly can, even if it does mean we will continue to hand out tissues, or sometimes use them ourselves.

By Jenny Pachucki, Oral Historian for the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Walking into the Memorial and Museum offices today, I passed the same wall clock that I pass every day.  Instead of the time, the clock displays the number of days until the permanent, public opening of the Memorial on September 11, 2011. Today, that number is 534—we’re less than a year and a half away.

It’s a pretty long walk from the front door to my office, which looks out over the World Trade Center site.  Each day that ticks by on the countdown clock reveals more progress on the site: more steel installed, more concrete poured, and—as of last week—the beginning of polished stone work on the Memorial pools.

I realize that for most people on the street, it can be difficult to see all the work that is happening at the site.  Many of the complex Memorial and Museum structures are below grade, in the seven story space between sidewalk and bedrock.  People probably also don’t realize that an incredible effort is happening twenty floors above the site, in our offices.  For the Memorial and Museum staff, every single day at work is filled with emotional stories of loss and recovery, problem solving at the biggest and most detailed levels, and a deep shared feeling of commitment to what we’re doing.  The MEMO blog will now serve as a small window into the work beyond the construction.  Our posts will be written by staff, and I hope that they give readers a better understanding of  the day-to-day on a project that will mean so much to so many.

I invite you to share comments and questions.  Thank you for visiting, and keep your eye on the clock.

9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels

From left to right, meet the WNET.ORG THIRTEEN team: Debbie Adler, Bijan Rezvani and Daniel Allen, who are seen here visiting the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site.

In a partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, WNET.ORG's THIRTEEN Forum will be bringing the "9/11, Today and Tomorrow" speakers series to you in HD video via http://www.thirteen.org/forum/ and for audio download on iTunes, all for free.  The video and podcasts will be available a week after the March 31, April 28, May 19 and June 23 speakers series events at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St., Manhattan.  So if you missed an event or want to relive the experience, log on for a truly unique perspectives.

To RSVP your seat for the next speakers series, click here.

“THIRTEEN Forum’s mission is to capture and distribute intelligent and engaging conversations that are meaningful for New Yorkers,” said Dan Greenberg, Senior Director of Interactive at WNET.ORG. “We’re thrilled to partner with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to make these critical talks accessible to a broader audience.”

THIRTEEN Forum is an online exclusive program from WNET.ORG,  Covering a wide range of topics, from the arts to public affairs. THIRTEEN Forum is a one-stop library of enlightenment, a place where the brightest minds gather to share ideas and explore our world.

For more information on the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, visit us online at www.national911memorial.org or click here.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial