AALL Centennial Celebration Toolkit:
Oral History Project
Did you ever have a grandparent or someone substantially older than you reminisce about "the good old days?" Often some of the best stories of the past are passed along only in an oral tradition - stories which would be lost if only the written form were retained. Why? Many folks do not want to commit something to the more formal medium of writing on paper or think what they have to say is unimportant. They will, however, talk about what they can remember, and this should be captured. Think about the material currently available and what could be lost to history buffs by 2106 if oral histories are not retained.
An oral history project at a Chapter or SIS level will capture, for future generations, the memories of those who lived through the formation of the association unit. This must be done now while those members who formed the chapters 20 to 50 years ago are still alive and (in some cases) competent.
Formally, oral history is the recording of people's memories, the living history of unique life experiences. Oral history records people's experiences on sound and video tape and is a vital tool for understanding the recent past. The memories of those who were the founders and charter members of local chapters or special interest sections of the association are vital to understanding the history of our beginnings. Those memories would include the players, the issues of the day, the problems to be solved by chapterhood and how those problems were actually solved.
Locally, a committee of one or more interested persons should be formed. It will include people who are known in the association or chapter and who are easy to talk with. The members should be provided with a tape recorder of good quality and either high quality audio tapes or sufficient funds to purchase high quality audio tapes. Optionally, video recording may be attempted. Often, however, there is sometimes resistance to having an image of oneself preserved unless the physical appearance is considered "acceptable." Video may require more individual attention than audio only recordings. Audio will capture the requisite information without the image. An image or picture may be provided by the interviewee, however, so listeners may associate a face with a voice. If at all possible, transcripts should be made as soon as possible after the formal interview is completed. These may need to be read and corrected by the interviewee.
For examples of oral history projects see:
Act Up Oral Histories project website: http://www.actuporalhistory.org/about/index.html;
Oral History Association website where several participating organizations have websites listed: http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/;
Suffragists Oral History Project: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/ohonline/suffragists.html.