How do I conduct my own oral history interview?

 

Web Resources

  • Moyer, Judith. Step by Step Guide to Oral History, 1999. [ link ]
  • Oral History Workshop on the Web (Baylor University, Institute for Oral History)
  • Oral History Association (OHA) (Website includes information about oral history, links to many other sites, and resources)
  • Shopes, Linda. “Making Sense of Oral History.” Downloadable manual on interpreting oral history, available from George Mason University, History Matters: The U.S. Survey on the Web, Making Sense of Evidence series, February 2002. [ link ]
  • Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “Smithsonian Folklore and Oral History Interviewing Guide.” [ link ]

Print Publications

  • MacKay, Nancy. Curating Oral Histories: From Interview to Archive. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press, 2007. [ link ]
  • “Oral History for the Family Historian: A Basic Guide.” Linda Barnickel 2006. Provides practical guidance to the novice who wishes to conduct a family oral history interview. It is designed to help the interviewer/researcher avoid common mistakes by effectively planning, conducting, and preserving a family oral history interview. It also contains an extensive list of sample questions, a legal release form, and other suggested resources. [ link ]
  • “Oral History and the Law” by John A. Neuenschwander 2002. 3rd edition. A completely new revision of an Oral History Association best-seller which provides an introduction to the many legal issues relating to oral history practice. This edition looks at the latest case law and how new technologies, such as videotaping, pose new problems. Appendices contain sample legal forms and copyright forms. Written for the layperson. [ link ]
  • “Oral History Projects in Your Classroom.” Linda P. Wood, with introduction by Marjorie L. McLellan, 2001. Bibliography. This guide, written for classroom teachers, includes sample forms, handouts, numerous examples, curriculum suggestions and discussion questions, taken directly from real-life classroom oral history projects around the country. [ link ]
  • “Using Oral History in Community History Projects.” Laurie Mercier & Madeline Buckendorf 1992. Offers concrete suggestions for planning, organizing, and undertaking oral history in community settings. Provides a step-by-step guide to project planning and establishing project objectives, with suggestions about identifying resources and securing funding. The authors address common problems encountered in executing such projects, and present a series of case studies of successful community oral history projects. Bibliography. [ link ]