Oral History Toolkit

Thanks to Jackie Beckey for creating this Oral History Toolkit.

Reading List:

• The Oral History Reader, edited by Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson
• Capturing the Living Past: An Oral History Primer, by Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan for the Nebraska Historical Society; a thorough primer in Q & A format, especially tailored for nonspecialists interested in interviewing on local and family history; focus is on planning and conducting an interview.

Minnesota Oral History Collections:

• The Tretter Transgender Oral History Project
• Minnesota Historical Society Collections

Considerations:

• IRB

Guides to doing oral histories:

Minnesota Historical Society:

The PDFs below have been produced by the oral history office at the Minnesota Historical Society as helpful guides that highlight some best practices to consider when undertaking your own oral history project.

• Oral history guidelines (PDF)
• Project evaluation guidelines (PDF)
• Question format (PDF)
• Interview tips (PDF)
• Transcribing guidelines (PDF)
• Editing an oral history transcript (PDF)
• Sample oral history release of rights agreement form (PDF)
• Minnesota Historical Society Oral History Project Guidelines (PDF)

Oral History Association:
OHA online guides to doing oral history: https://oralhistory.org/web-guides-to-doing-oral-history/

The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide:
https://folklife.si.edu/the-smithsonian-folklife-and-oral-history-interviewing-guide/smithsonian

Macalester’s Archive of Oral Histories:
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macoralhist/