Today’s Follow Friday: Oral History Association, a non-profit organization started by academic historians. This group has much to offer genealogists.
The Oral History Association advocates for “the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies.” Their Web site, Wiki and Best Practices standards are very helpful to the genealogist planning to interview a relative.
For more help from this blog on interviewing family members, click here.
Follow Friday: Oral History Association
The OHA has published Oral History for the Family Historian: A Basic Guide by Linda Barnickel, Oral History Association, 2006. Paper. 70 pages. $15.00
A good oral history, even a single interview, requires careful planning. Too often, novices and experienced researchers alike jump into an oral history project before giving sufficient thought to the technical, legal, access, and longevity issues. This seventy-page publication published by the Oral History Association provides practical guidance to the novice who wishes to conduct a family oral history interview. It is designed to help the interviewer/researcher avoid common mistakes by effectively planning, conducting, and preserving a family oral history interview. It also contains an extensive list of sample questions, a legal release form, and other suggested resources.
