The Process of Oral History
Whenever I interview people they usually ask me what the interview is for and how they are part of the big picture. Over the past year the museum has been trying to build up an oral history archive based off of previous interns’ work and my work. They hope that other interns will come and eventually add to the information we have now.
One of my supervisors, Veronica, is helping to insure the quality work of future interns by writing a “run down” which includes an entire set of instructions and process of how to do oral history. Her “run down” was based off of previous interns work and research on oral history that she found off the Smithsonian museum web site. She wanted me to see review this run down and get my feedback on it. The following is the collaboration of her research:
Identify individual/s willing to be interviewed
Set up a date and time for the interview (off-site or on-site, quiet location, about 1-2 hours for set up and interview.)
If possible, inform the interviewee about the consent form and biographical form, ask if they would be willing to bring copies of photos they might talk about and/or if it would be possible to take a picture of them to include in their file. (or if they can bring copies that we can keep in their file.)
Conduct any preliminary research needed prior to the interview – this may involve reading up on a subject a little or simply talking to Museum staff about the interviewee and getting a sense of what topics they might want to discuss in the interview.
Review/prepare the list of interview questions and topics for the interview (these are broad, jumping-off points, “essay” type questions, but feel free to let the interview go where it will.)
It may be helpful to verify the appointment a few days ahead with the interviewee.
The Interview
Make sure you choose a quiet place to perform the interview so it will be easier to hear on the recording. Take a moment to listen for background noises such as ticking clocks or traffic.
Make sure the interviewee understands the purpose of the interview; it is not a private conversation, but is intended for use in research and exhibits (see above, consent form.)
Have the interviewee sign the consent form and fill out the bibliographic form.
Start each recording with who, what, when and where you are interviewing.
Listen actively to the interviewee
Allow silence on the recording, and give the interviewee time to think, silence will likely help you as you are transcribing later.
Ask one question at a time and follow up thoroughly on each one (feel free to ask the interviewee to elaborate: “could you explain X?” “what do you mean by X?” “Could you please elaborate on X?”
Limit interviews to about 1-2 hours in length to avoid fatigue. You can always schedule a second interview if necessary or if the interviewee is interested to do so.
After the interview, make field notes about the interview (as quickly as possible afterward.) note impressions of the interview, add details that may help future researchers understand the interview. Was the interviewee nervous? Was this your first interview? How did you feel it went? Did you have trouble getting them to speak at length? Were there topics they seemed excited about? Were there subjects they referenced that corroborated or disagreed with other interviews? Etc.
If possible, write the interviewee a thank-you note. (Museum Staff?)
Listen to the interview and carefully transcribe it.
Analyze the interview. Did you get what you need? Are there unanswered questions from the interview that you could investigate in the follow-up? Are there improvements you can make to you interview methods? Questions you should consider using in the future? Etc.
Send transcription to interviewee for spelling corrections (people and place names, mainly) or schedule a second meeting where they can go through the transcript and correct in person.
Correct spellings and add notes (if interviewee gave additional comments on the transcript)**
Give any hardcopy material to the Curator and save the interview audio file and transcription in the appropriate folder on the Common Drive.
If the interviewee asks, we can get them a copy of the interview transcript and possibly of the audio file. See the Curator for details.
As you can see, the whole process of oral history can be a lot harder and time consuming than it looks. So, far I am still figuring this process out especially in terms of the “follow up”. i have not had anyone come back for a follow up and it may be something that I want to work on for the future.
Swedish American Museum 