Now that I have been working for the museum for three weeks I think I am much more at home and comfortable. I have my own desk that I work at everyday which makes me feel very official and important. In my last post I gave a sample of some of the questions I hope to ask immigrants. For this post, I want to give a sample of some of the questions I will be asking non-immigrants or residents of Andersonville. For these people I have decided to separate the questions into two categories: Andersonville and Swedish heritage.
Andersonville
1. Compared to other neighborhoods of Chicago, what was it like growing up in Andersonville?
2. Did you feel a connection to your Swedish heritage growing up in/visiting/working in Andersonville?
3. What sites or stores do you think should be preserved for future generations?
4 Have you or your family always worked in Andersonville?
Heritage
1. What was the cause of you ancestors’ immigration?
2. What year did they immigrate?
3. Did your parents or grandparents tell stories of Sweden when growing up?
4. Are you a member or volunteer of any Swedish groups/clubs/orginizations? If so, what does this group do and what is your role?
5. Do you continue any Swedish traditions within your family or home? If so, what are they?
6. Do you speak Swedish or do you speak/ teach Swedish to your children?
7. Have you taken any trips or visits to Sweden? If so, where and when did you go?
8. What part of your Swedish heritage are you most proud of?
9. Do you have any meaningful objects or photos that you would like to share? (I will ask both immigrants and non-immigrants this question.)
Of course these will not be the only questions that I will ask them. I also plan on asking specific questions relating to their line of work and how it could be related to their heritage or Andersonville. For example, I hope to interview Scott Martin in the next few weeks. He is the owner of the local Swedish tavern that is across the street from the museum.
For my next post I hope to give a small tour of the museum since I have not done that yet. I think this will be a very cool since it will have lots of photos of our gallery.
Swedish American Museum 
I really like the view into the process of creating an oral history that you have given us over your blog posts from the last two weeks. Most people don’t realize the work that goes into an oral history before you even sit down with the person you are interviewing. I hope the interviews go well!