Getting Started with Oral History

The Interview
An interview can feel like a conversation, although there are some important differences.

• Most interviewers will limit their own speaking so as to focus the interview on your experiences and your memories.
• At all times you are free to choose not to answer questions, to take a break from recording, or to end the interview.
• You are not required to discuss any topics that make you uncomfortable or cause you distress. The interviewer should not pressure you to change your mind, although they may ask you why you would prefer to not to speak about a particular subject in order to understand why you are choosing to avoid it.
• If the questions asked are not clear or seem irrelevant, you may ask for clarification.
• You should feel free to think about how you want to respond and take the time necessary to answer the question fully.

The Recording Process

The interview is recorded, sometimes with a simple audio recorder or perhaps with professional video recording equipment. Your interview may also take place remotely, using Zoom via a phone, computer, or other device.

• When applicable, your interviewer will position the equipment to get the best possible recording.
• Work with them to ensure that you are comfortable throughout this process.
• While you might feel distracted by the recording equipment at the start of the interview, most participants feel more comfortable as the interview proceeds, and are able to easily focus on answering questions and sharing their stories.

Adapted from Oral History Association, “For Participants in Oral History Interviews,” OHA Principles and Best Practices, 2020.

Please consider the following after participating in an oral history interview:

The intended use of the interview

An oral history interview may result in materials such as an audio or video recording, a transcript of the recording, detailed notes on the information you provided, pictures of you, or other related records.

• These materials may be given to an archive or other repository to be housed long term and/or made available for public access.
• They may also be used in publications, websites, events, exhibits, and other public resources. The interviewer should explain to you the intended use of these materials, how they will be cared for, and how they may be accessed by others.
• These intentions are not a guarantee. The interview and related materials may never be used at all. Additionally, over the long term, there may be changes to how such materials can be made accessible to the public, preserved, or cared for as technologies and institutions change. In such cases, those responsible for the long-term care of your oral history materials should respect your initial intent for their use as much as possible. If the oral historian is aware in advance that such changes could take place, they should let you know.
• From an archival perspective, cataloging oral history interviews requires great attention to detail and often takes a long time; it may take several weeks or months following your interview for it to become publicly accessible as part of a larger project or collection. However, after your interview, you are welcome to review your interview and/or make changes before it is shared with the public. 

Altering or withdrawing your oral history interview

When the interview finishes, you are welcome to raise questions or concerns about the interview or the oral history project.

• Know that you can restrict an interview from the public, make changes before it is shared, or withdraw your interview even after you have recorded your oral history interview and/or, in many cases, signed a formal agreement.
• Depending on the plan for long-term storage and access, this may be handled in a variety of ways.
• The oral historian should be able to share any information related to withdrawing your interview.
• Once an oral history is shared with the public, or entered into an archive, it may not be possible to fully remove it. A third party may quote, use, and reference it in another way that the oral historian has no control over. The oral historian should, when possible, specify a date by which it would become difficult or impossible for you to withdraw your oral history.
• Be aware that even if an oral history is closed to the public for a period of time, certain legal challenges— such as subpoenas or open-record requests—may make some restrictions unenforceable.

Formal agreement
Either at the beginning or the conclusion of your interview, the interviewer should request a written or verbal declaration to formalize the agreed upon terms of use for the recorded interview. This process is often referred to as legal release or consent form. In recognition of the fact that you, the narrator, own the words you speak in the interview, the formal agreement is your opportunity to provide permission for others to have access to and use your interview. On this legal release, you may provide a blanket permission for the public to access and use your oral history, or you may decide to place certain restrictions on its use. Speak with your oral historian about the options. After consenting, you should receive a copy of the legal release terms.

Copyright

When you sign a legal release, you might also be asked to assign your copyright of the interview to the oral historian or to an archive, as part of, or in addition to, the release document. You may also be given the option of assigning your interview to the public domain or of signing a Creative Commons license.

• All of these options are in place so that others may quote from your interview in books, on radio, in films, or other media.
• Libraries and archives often wish to hold copyright so that they can protect the materials now and long into the future.
• Ask your interviewer to explain the document you are signing and, if you wish, other options that exist for planning public access to, and use of, your interview.
• Note that any time you sign a document, you should request a copy of that document to refer to later if needed.
• Always feel free to ask questions! 

For information about copyright, see Copyright/Creative Commons, Trademarks, and Patents.

Adapted from Oral History Association, “For Participants in Oral History Interviews,” OHA Principles and Best Practices, 2020.