Oral History

Before the Interview

1. Prepare weeks in advance
2. Identify whom you will interview (your informer)
3. Identify your audience
4. Contact your informer. Let them know at least two (2) weeks in advance of your interview.
5. Make sure he/she understands what you want to talk about and that you want to record your session.
6. Ask your informer about any artifacts they may have that will add to your history
7. Make arrangements for a video camera, or a tape recorder. Practice using them.
8. Conduct background research prior to the interview
9. Develop a list of question
10. You may need to have your informer sign release forms so that you can publish your work
11. Decide how you want to publish your Oral History and who might be its audience

During the Interview

1. Record an opening announcement
2. Get release forms signed
3. Get background (life history) from your informer
4. Your interview should last from 30 to 60 minutes
5. Video tape any artifacts your informer may have

After the Interview

1. Make (field) notes immediately after you interview -- you will forget if you don't make notes.
2. Send your informer a written thank you
3. Transcribe (word for word) your interview as soon as possible
4. Make (index) timing notes, to make it easier to revisit parts of your recording
5. Create a formated Word Processing document from your transcription. This should be suitable for publishing.

Publishing your Oral History as a multi-media document

1. Write an introduction to your Oral History, put it in prospective for your audience
2. With a clean, formated version of your Oral History, begin adding other media
3. An introduction
4. Sound clips
5. Video clips
6. Annotate your interview with supporting research
7. Review your work, make a decision about conducting a follow-up interview.