Tell Me More: Resources for Oral History
From time to time, VFC staff members are asked to offer recommendations about best practices for conducting oral history interviews and projects. Casey Dooley, a student in the Oral History Master of Arts program at Columbia University and our fall 2021 education intern, has compiled a rich list of resources available from other organizations (interspersed with her own sage advice) which provide some guidance for those embarking on their own oral history projects.
The Oral History Association
A trusted go-to for all things oral history, the the Oral History Association (OHA) is committed to fostering best practices among community historians, students, teachers, archivists, and others. Here are a few starting points to explore:
OHA web guides to doing oral history
Seeking soup-to-nuts oral history primers, or additional info on interviewing techniques? You’re in the right spot!
OHA remote interviewing resources
Whether you are aiming to interview someone across the county or the country, these tech tips will help you make the most of their time and yours. With contributions by VFC’s own Andy Kolovos and Mary Wesley!
Get acquainted with industry standards around metadata, archiving, permissions, and more.
The American Folklife Center At the Library of Congress
Since 1928 the American Folkife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress has been conducting and preserving ethnographic and oral history research in the United States. Their website contains a wealth of information about research practice.
A terrific quick-start primer for oral history projects—from planning to preservation.
AFC’s classic booklet on interview-based research.
More to Read
High, Steven. “Embodied Ways of Listening: Oral History, Genocide and the Audio Tour.” Anthropologica 55, no. 1 (2013): 73–85. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24467375.
Butler, Toby, and Graeme Miller. “Linked: A Landmark in Sound, a Public Walk of Art.” Cultural Geographies 12, no. 1 (2005): 77–88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44251015.
Ideas for taking oral history off of the digital/printed page in an effort to engage people in uniquely personal ways.
Borland, Katherine. 1998. “’That’s Not What I Said’: Interpretative Conflict in Oral Narrative Research.” Pp. 310-321. In The Oral History Reader, 2 ed. Ed. Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson. New York: Routledge.
Borland, Katherine. 2018. “That’s Not What I Said: A reprise 25 years on.” Pp 31-37. In Beyond Women's Words : Feminisms and the Practices of Oral History in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Katrina Srigley, et al., Routledge.
Companion pieces that highlight questions around interpretation—and by extension, transcription as well as consent.
Lowry, Sarah, and Alison Duke. “Foundling Voices.” Oral History 40, no. 2 (2012): 99–108. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41806361.
A look at some of the narrator-centric considerations in play when curating an oral history project for public presentation.
Kerr, Daniel R. "Allan Nevins Is Not My Grandfather: The Roots of Radical Oral History Practice in the United States." Oral History Review43, no. 2 (2016): 367-391. muse.jhu.edu/article/631341.
Consider methodologies both classic and contemporary, and explore what side of (oral) history you’re on!
More to Hear
The NYC Trans Oral History Project and Rethinking Oral History Methodology This talk with Michelle Esther O’Brien is an inspiring reminder that commitment and curiosity are often the most important resources you need to make an oral history project happen.
Oral history archives at home and abroad...
Looking for inspiration or education? Turn to these sources to hear interviews on a variety of topics over a broad range of time:
Oral History collection at the British Library Browse by topic for a true treasure trove.
New York Public Library Oral History Project Visit a new neighborhood without leaving your home.
Vermont Folklife Center Archive VFC is slowly adding new materials to their online collection. If you’re interested in oral history, check out the Mad River Valley and Richard Brick/Last Stand Farmer collections.
History Matters This list from History Matters suggests a variety of sources (both audible and otherwise) that share perspectives on art, American life, civil rights, technology, and so much more. Read and listen to learn about the ways you wish to practice as an oral historian.
P.S.
Once you feel like you have a solid sense of ethics and tech, one of the best ways to build your practice is to steep yourself in oral histories—ones that either align or contrast with your interests. Whatever you are interested in, there is probably a book or project around it—search to see, and give yourself the space to explore what you appreciate and (of importance!) what you question about the author’s approach. Dive into the Voice of Witness series, or see which Studs Terkel tomes and tapes do or don’t appeal to you. Start a book club around Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon. Explore the work of Svetlana Alexievitch, or ponder the methods of Alessandro Portelli. Find your own way through exploring the paths of others.
