This contribution analyses the difficulties and possibilities of building an oral history collection in a public library. It will briefly present the example of the Italian Provincial Library “Claudia Augusta” in Bolzano, South Tyrol, which has been running an oral history archive project. It will be shown how oral history can stimulate the participation of members of society through conversations and encounters in a new “participatory” library. Oral history in the library is thus seen as a way to bridge the gap between the library and the community, an opportunity to foster relation-ships between community members, and inspire new narratives.