"Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews."
Examine the practice of documenting personal memories and stories as a way to capture and communicate history from the perspective of individuals and communities.
Definition of Oral History: This topic covers the meaning, purpose and methods of conducting oral history research.
Interviews: This topic covers the basics of conducting interviews including interview techniques, protocol, and tips for getting the most out of your participant.
Ethics: This topic covers the ethical considerations and best practices when conducting oral history research.
Recording Equipment: This topic covers the types of recording equipment used in oral history and considerations when selecting and using them.
Transcription: This topic covers the process of turning oral interviews into written transcripts, including formatting, accuracy, and software used in transcription.
Analysis: This topic covers the process of analyzing and interpreting oral history data, including identifying themes, trends, and patterns.
Interpretation: This topic covers how to use oral history data for public history purposes, including exhibitions, publications, social media, and other platforms.
Archiving: This topic covers the process of storing and preserving oral history data, including organization, access, and legal considerations.
Collaboration: This topic covers the benefits and challenges of collaborating with community members, organizations, and other stakeholders when conducting oral history research.
Technology: This topic covers how technology can be used to enhance oral history research, including digital mapping, virtual reality, and other innovative tools.
Life history interviews: This type of oral history records the complete life story of an individual or a group of individuals. The focus is on gathering information about personal experiences, family life, work, and other significant events in the interviewee's life.
Event-based interviews: Event-based interviews focus on specific events or periods in history, such as wars, revolutions, and social movements. The goal is to collect personal accounts of the events from people who experienced them.
Folklore and traditional knowledge: This type of oral history is used to document traditional knowledge, customs, and beliefs of a particular community or culture. It includes stories, songs, and other cultural practices that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Business and industrial history: This type of oral history focuses on the history of a particular business, industry or sector of the economy. It captures information about the changes, challenges, and significant developments that have occurred over time.
Personal narrative: Personal narrative interviews focus on the individual experiences of the interviewee, including their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It is a reflection of a person's life story and their perspective on events.
Oral history of science: Oral history of science interviews focus on capturing the memories and experiences of scientists, researchers, and other professionals in the field of science. The goal is to document their contributions to scientific knowledge and discovery.
Community history: Community history interviews focus on documenting the history of a particular community or region. It includes stories and memories of important events, places, people, and cultural practices.
"These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations."
"Oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives and most of these cannot be found in written sources."
"Knowledge presented by Oral History (OH) is unique in that it shares the tacit perspective, thoughts, opinions, and understanding of the interviewee in its primary form."
"To preserve memories and perceptions of past events for future generations as an aural record."
"Often preserved in archives and large libraries."
"In Western society, the use of oral material goes back to the early Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides, both of whom made extensive use of oral reports from witnesses."
"The modern concept of oral history was developed in the 1940s by Allan Nevins and his associates at Columbia University."
"Primitive societies have long relied on oral tradition to preserve a record of the past in the absence of written histories."
"Professional historians usually consider oral tradition to be any information about past events that witnesses told anybody else."
"Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews."
"Oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives and most of these cannot be found in written sources."
"Knowledge presented by Oral History (OH) is unique in that it shares the tacit perspective, thoughts, opinions, and understanding of the interviewee in its primary form."
"These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events, and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations."
"Oral history complements written histories by providing a different source of information, often capturing details and perspectives not found in written sources."
"Preserving oral history data ensures that memories and perspectives of past events are not lost and can be accessed by future generations."
"Oral history enhances our understanding of the past by incorporating personal experiences and subjective accounts, which offer unique insights into historical events."
"Oral history interviews are often preserved in archives and large libraries."
"The early Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides made extensive use of oral reports from witnesses."
"The primary objective of oral history is to collect and study historical information about people, families, important events, or everyday life using various mediums."