Doing Oral History A Practical Guide

by Ritchie, Donald A.

• ISBN13: 9780195154337
• ISBN10: 0195154339
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-08-07
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Oral history is vital to our understanding of the cultures and experiences of the past. Unlike written history, oral history forever captures people's feelings, expressions, and nuances of language. But what exactly is oral history? How reliable is the information gathered by oral history? Andwhat does it take to become an oral historian? Donald A. Ritchie, a leading expert in the field, answers these questions and, in particular, explains the principles and guidelines created by the Oral History Association to ensure the professional standards of oral historians. Doing Oral History has become one of the premier resources in the field of oral history. It explores all aspects of oral history, from starting an oral-history project, including funding, staffing, and equipment to conducting interviews; publishing; videotaping; preserving materials; teachingoral history; and using oral history in museums and on the radio. In this second edition, the author has incorporated new trends and scholarship, updated and expanded the bibliography and appendices, and added a new focus on digital technology and the Internet. Appendices include sample legalrelease forms and information on oral history organizations. Doing Oral History is a definitive step-by-step guide that provides advice and explanations on how to create recordings that illuminate human experience for generations to come. Illustrated with examples from a wide range of fascinating projects, this authoritative guide offers clear,practical, and detailed advice for students, teachers, researchers, and amateur genealogists who wish to record the history of their own families and communities.

Author Biography

Donald A. Ritchie is Associate Historian in the United States Senate Historical Office, where he conducts an oral history program. A former president of the Oral History Association, he has served on the council of the American Historical Association, and chaired the Organization of American Historians' committee on research and access to historical documentation. He has conducted many oral history workshops, and for ten years, he edited the Twayne oral history series.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgments	11	(8)
An Oral History of Our Time	19	(28)
Memory and Oral History	30	(11)
Public History and Oral History	41	(6)
Setting Up an Oral History Project	47	(37)
Funding and Staffing	50	(7)
Equipment	57	(7)
Processing	64	(11)
Legal Concerns	75	(4)
Archiving and the Internet	79	(5)
Conducting Interviews	84	(26)
Preparation for the Interview	85	(3)
Setting up the Interview	88	(2)
Conducting the Interview	90	(18)
Concluding the Interview	108	(2)
Using Oral History in Research and Writing	110	(24)
Oral Evidence	117	(11)
Publishing Oral History	128	(6)
Videotaping Oral History	134	(21)
Setting and Equipment	139	(6)
Preserving and Using the Video Recordings	145	(10)
Preserving Oral History in Archives and Libraries	155	(33)
Managing Oral History Collections	160	(4)
Sound Recordings	164	(7)
Digitizing Oral Archives	171	(8)
Donated Interviews	179	(3)
Legal Considerations	182	(2)
Public Programs	184	(4)
Teaching Oral History	188	(34)
Oral History in Elementary and Secondary Schools	193	(14)
Oral History in Undergraduate and Graduate Education	207	(8)
Institutional Review Boards	215	(7)
Presenting Oral History	222	(30)
Community History	223	(7)
Family Interviewing	230	(3)
Therapeutic Uses of Oral History	233	(4)
Museum Exhibits	237	(4)
Radio and Oral History	241	(2)
Oral History on Stage	243	(2)
CD-ROM and the Internet	245	(7)
Appendix 1 Principles and Standards of the Oral History Association	252	(4)
Appendix 2 Sample Legal Release Forms	256	(5)
Notes and References	261	(26)
Selected Bibliography	287	(18)
Internet Resources	305	(4)
Index	309