Indivisible - Lesson: Collecting Oral Histories

EDUCATOR'S GUIDE: INDIVISIBLE - Lesson

COLLECTING ORAL HISTORIES

This lesson offers "how-to" instructions for creating an audio oral history. Oral histories are first-person narratives collected to preserve and present information about a subject.

Steps

Determine what subject (person, place, thing, event, etc.) you would like to document.

Preliminary Contact

Contact the person you will be interviewing in advance. Describe the purpose and nature of the interview, the approximate time it will take, how the tape will be used and for what purposes. Answer any questions the interviewee may have about the interview process or the larger project. Observe sound conditions that may enhance or interfere with your recording.
Arrange for the interview. Agree upon a quiet location where you won't be interrupted. The interviewee's home or another familiar location works best. Arrange a date and time and telephone the day before to remind the person of the session. lens.

CHALK development coordinator Ruth Barajas, age 18, talks to her boyfriend during her shift at Youthline. The Youth-line listeners say that many of the support calls are about relationships.
Silver dye bleach print
© Lauren Greenfield1999

Pre-Interview Preparation

Search for information about your subject. Consult with friends and relatives, read autobiographies, journals, newspapers, and anything that might contribute to your understanding of your subject. and the issues you will be discusssing
Once you have determined the focus of your interview (whether it is autobiographical recollections or confined to a specific topic), you can begin to sketch out a question outline. Make a list of what kind of questions you will need to ask to help define your subject. Order your questions in an outline format to help you keep the interview in the direction you want it to go.
Sometimes the interviewee is given a copy of the outline in advance of the interview. This will give him/her time to think about people, events, and dates that are not in recent memory.
Whenever possible bring materials such as photographs and related information to assist the narrator with the recall of past events.
Just prior to the session, test any tape-recording equipment you will use. If you use batteries, install fresh ones. Bring at least one more blank tape and spare batteries than you think you'll need.
Read through your list and have a notepad and pencil available.

Sam Davis, Columbia City Council member and former president of Eau Claire Community Council Gelatin silver print
© Eli Reed1999

Interview Session

Start the session with easy and enjoyable kinds of questions to overcome any initial discomfort. Remind the interviewee that you can stop the session at any time if she needs a break.
Speak slowly and clearly. Ask open-ended questions that require more than a one-word answer. Start your questions with words such as "why," "how," "where," "what kind of."
Ask one question at a time. Take your time and give the narrator a chance to think and add information before moving on to your next question. Don't let periods of silence fluster you.
Do not interrupt or speak at the same time as your narrator. Develop non-verbal cues, such as nodding your head, to communicate with or encourage your speaker, and write down questions that come to mind and refer to them later.
Become an active listener. If your narrator strays into subjects that are not pertinent, steer him back on course by referring to your list of questions as a guide. Also, be aware that the narrator may answer some of your questions in the course of the discussion. You need not specifically ask every question on your list.
Write down names and places and confirm spellings at the conclusion of the session. o If relevant, ask about diaries, letters, photographs, or other kinds of materials related to the subject that the narrator might wish to share with you.
Keep alert for relevant topics of interest that come up that you may not have thought of.
End the interview at a reasonable time. It's better to reschedule additional time, if necessary, if the narrator seems tired. One to one-and-a half hours is a good length.
Label your interview tape with the date, the names of the narrator and interviewer, and the location of the interview. o After the interview, be sure the narrator clearly understands how the interview is to be used. Thank the narrator and any assistants.
Collect and make copies of any materials such as documents, letters, or photographs.

Selecting, Transcribing, and Editing Narrative

Listen to the tapes several times to decide what to transcribe. Take transcription notes to help you decide which segments of the narrative to include in the oral history. An interview transcription can be full, partial, or a list of keywords or short descriptions accompanied by timing or tape numbers to approximate their location in the interview. Choose the one that best suits your needs.
Listen to the interview again to check your transcription notes and to decide which segments of the narrative best tell your story.

Follow-up

It is common practice to offer a taped or written copy of the oral history to the narrator for comments, corrections, and suggestions.
Thank your interviewee and others who helped you or provided information.

LINK TO EXAMINING LESSON

http://www.creativephotography.org This page last updated September 24, 2000. oncenter@ccp.arizona.edu

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