
Starting an Oral History Project?
With planning and practice, you can begin recording oral histories with your family or community by learning more about the oral history interviewing process.
A primary source in historical research, oral histories offer a subjective understanding of history by sharing lived, personal experiences. To successfully record an oral history, interviewers should be well-informed and prepared before they start their interview.
Steps to Prepare for Conducting an Oral History:
- Select someone to interview. Consider what you’d like to ask and what you hope to learn.
- Request permission to interview your selected person and set a time and date at a quiet location.
- Research your interviewee. Background information helps develop questions that will help them remember important details.
- Share a general list of topics with your interviewee before the interview so they have time to prepare.
- Practice using your equipment ahead of time to ensure your recording goes smoothly.
- Send a date and time reminder before your scheduled interview.
- Ask your interviewee to sign a release or permission form before recording.
- Conduct your interview. Remember to ask open-ended questions and take notes for follow-up questions.
- Archive your recording with a clearly marked label and store it in a safe location such as an external hard drive or secure online storage.
- Share! Well-conducted oral histories offer invaluable and unique insight into understanding the past. Your contribution is important.