Careful planning is key to a successful oral history project. Before you jump into interviews, consider the following:
Step 1: Define your main question or topic of interest
Every oral history project starts with a point of curiosity or interest. Do you wonder what your neighborhood was like 20 years ago? Are you interested in a specific moment or event in history? Do you want to preserve the memories of elders in your family? Or the history of a group or organization in your community? All of these questions and more would be great starting points for an oral history project.
Some questions to consider when choosing a topic for your project:
What do I already know about this topic? What don’t I know?
What barriers might I face when researching this topic?
Is oral history the best way to learn about this topic?
Are there people I can interview about this topic?
Am I repeating someone else’s project? Have others done similar projects that can inspire me? Am I doing something no one has done before?
If you need help defining your project, reach out to us at communityhistory@bpl.org to ask questions or set up a consultation with staff.
Step 2: Determine your project goals
As you shape your project, consider the following questions:
Who is this project for and why?
What is the main topic (or topics) that this project will explore?
What do you know about the subject? What are you hoping to learn?
Are there people you can interview who are willing and able to share their perspectives on your topic?
What is the scope of your project? Is there a specific time period or angle that you can use to frame your topic?
What is your desired outcome from this project? For example, you could:
Add videos or recordings to public platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, the Internet Archive, SoundCloud, or others
Write a blog, article, or even a book
Create an online exhibit using platforms like Omeka, Pachyderm, Scalar, or others
Use interviews in a school project
Share an informal oral presentation with your family or community
Write down your topic and main goals. Even if you never share this document with anyone else, it will help you to have your big ideas on paper.
Step 3: Conduct preliminary research
Once you have your project focus and goals in mind, do some background research. Familiarize yourself with your topic and give yourself some framing information for your interview questions. The BPL is a great place to start your research, and librarians can help you find information about your topic. For help with research questions, email ask@bpl.org.
Tips for Research:
Has someone already conducted research on the topic or topics that interest you? Does it make sense for you to pursue this project or choose a different topic that hasn’t yet been explored?
Review published and unpublished material about your topic in order to learn more about it and prepare for your interviews.
Who are the knowledge keepers of your topic? Are they willing and able to share their stories with you in a recorded interview? If no one has this information, or are unable to share information, then consider a different research topic.
Develop a basic outline of the narrators’ lives; a pre-interview discussion with your narrator is a great time to do this. Having a broad understanding of major life events or experiences in advance of the interview can help you craft your questions.
Step 4: Choose narrators
Narrators are people who share their first-person accounts in an interview. An oral history project rests upon the narrators’ memories: through their testimonies, they actively add their experiences to the historical record. It is important to build a trusting and honest relationship with your narrators in which they have power over their own stories. After identifying who you would like to interview, be sure to fully explain your project and the narrator's role within it. Read through the section on Informed Consent in this guide for more information about working with narrators.
Step 5: Create an interview outline
Once you have researched your topic and found your narrator, it is a good idea to construct an outline to guide your recorded interview. Because no two narrators will have the same life experiences, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to structuring your interview. Instead, you can think of the interview outline as a flexible roadmap that guides you and your narrator through your interview topics. It doesn't have to contain fully scripted questions; some people find it more helpful to simply list key terms, ideas, or events that you want to inquire about. You can also share this document with the narrator in advance of your interview; this gives them a chance to help shape the interview by adding their own ideas and striking topics they don’t want to discuss.
Step 6: Hold a pre-interview
An informal, non-recorded pre-interview conversation with your narrator will help both of you map out your expectations, test your technology, discuss consent, and come up with questions together. Encourage the narrator to ask questions during this conversation and to state any topics that they don’t want to address during the interview. Remember: the narrator is the expert of their lived experience; listen to their ideas, and respect their needs and desires throughout the interview process. At the end of the pre-interview, schedule the interview itself.
Step 7: Record your interview
Before starting the recorded interview, make sure to test the recording equipment. You’ll want to make sure that the recorder is charged and working. Remind the narrator that you are there to ask questions, and that the interview will center their experiences. Because so much attention is devoted to one party, it will feel different from a regular conversation; this is okay! For in-depth information about how to conduct the interview, see the "Conducting an Interview" section of this guide.
Step 8: Consider how you will preserve your interview
When considering storage, it is important to remember the acronym LOCKSS: “Lots Of Copies Keep Stuff Safe!” Recordings should be backed up to computers and kept in multiple file and drive locations; consider cloud storage options as well.
Step 9: Consider how you or others will use your recorded interviews
We create oral history projects with the intent of using and sharing them with others. Depending on the scope and focus of your project, there may be many different options for you to share interviews with the world. Communicate clearly with your narrators about how you intend to use and share their interview prior to recording; do not use or share their interview without their express consent. It is our responsibility to use oral histories honestly and respectfully, and to honor the narrators’ experiences and intent. It’s also important to recognize that, in making an oral history publicly available, you are opening up a narrator’s words to interpretation beyond your control. For more information, please see the “Preserving and Sharing Oral Histories'' section of this guide.
Adapted from The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, "Oral History Interviews: Family History and Folklife," 2015.
Let your research guide you! Before sitting down with your narrator, create a list of key terms and phrases relating to the information you would like to learn. This outline will in turn guide your interview.
Tip: Drafting a list of specific questions ahead of time may feel too scripted and rigid, preventing your narrator from being fully candid and you from following up for details. Instead, compose questions around your key terms and phrases to help your narrators recall the past and share their stories.
A pre-interview conversation with your narrator will help both of you map out your expectations, test your technology, and unearth some avenues for inquiry.
Your narrator may want to know what you’re planning to ask ahead of time. You can share a list of questions or topics you plan to cover; this will give them a sense of structure, spark memories, and help build trust.
During the interview, your narrator may offer information that wasn’t on your topic list but merits further investigation. That’s okay! That’s great! You can ask follow-up questions, and once you’ve covered the new topic to your satisfaction, you can return to your list and move on to the next topic. Remain flexible and treat your outline as a road map; you have a destination in mind, but it’s okay (and encouraged!) to explore and take the scenic route along the way.
An oral history with a lifelong resident of Boston’s Egleston Square may use an outline that looks something like this:
Egleston Square
Description (geographical boundaries): Egleston Square straddles Roxbury and Jamaica Plain; runs along Washington Street from about Dimock Street to Green Street and along Columbus Avenue from about Dimock Street and Walnut Avenue
Origin of name: unclear but some scholars believe Egleston Square might have been named for William R. Egleston, a Black soldier who served in the Union Army's Fifth Cavalry during the American Civil War
What are your earliest memories of Egleston Square?
Important places in memory (residences, businesses, schools, churches, parks, historic sites):
Franklin Park
National Center of Afro-American Artists
Egleston Branch of the Boston Public Library
Egleston Square Peace Garden
Brewery Complex
Southwest Corridor
Residential neighborhoods
How did people get around? What modes of transportation did you use?
Orange Line - ask about Washington Street Elevated (1901-1987)
Times people got together: when, where, why (politics, sports, play, social life)
Concerts and games in Franklin Park
Block parties
Racial, ethnic, economic makeup of neighborhood
Changes in neighborhood demographics from childhood to present day
Neighborhood leaders, characters, important organizations
Kendra Hicks
Delphine Walker
City Life Vida Urbana
Urban Edge
Describe relationship to the city? To surrounding neighborhoods?
Major celebrations in the neighborhood (holidays, rites of passage)
Sense of safety and security (examples: health, crime, environmental factors)
Effects of a major historic event on the neighborhood (examples: Great Depression, WWII, urban renewal, highway construction, Blizzard of ‘78)
Changes in the neighborhood over time
Adapted from Baylor University Institute for Oral History, “Creating an interview outline,” 2012.
An informal pre-interview conversation with your narrator will help both of you map out your expectations, test your technology, and come up with questions and ideas together.
This conversation is not recorded and gives you and your narrator a chance to get to know one another, iron out the technical logistics of recording, ensure the informed consent of all participants, and is an opportunity for the interviewer to gather some biographical information that can inform your interview questions.
Encourage the narrator to ask questions during this conversation (and any time!).
At the end of the pre-interview, schedule the interview itself.
You can use the pre-interview template in this guide to structure your pre-interview
Adapted from Boston Research Center, Oral History Toolkit, 2020.
Do a couple of test runs with your recording technology before conducting your interview. This will help ensure that you are familiar with how your gear works, and that you can make appropriate adjustments in the interview setting.
Some considerations and questions to ask yourself before you hit record:
Is your recording device fully charged? Do you have spare batteries and/or an extension cord? Do they work?
Make a short test recording (this is the part where you get to say, “Testing 1, 2, 3”). Play it back: is there background noise or feedback? Is the volume too low or too high?
Are you using a device with an audio monitor? If so, make sure you know how to set your audio levels prior to the interview.
What placement of the microphone produces the best audio?
Plan for interruptions:
Be sure to turn off phones or put them in airplane mode.
If possible, avoid squeaky chairs or chairs on wheels.
If possible, avoid fidget devices, including papers, cell phones, snacks, or cups (that being said, you may wish to have water available for both interviewer and interviewee).
If there’s a risk of surprise visitors, close the door to the interview room and tape a cautionary sign (e.g., “Interview in process”).
Consider the environment, and plan with the narrator. Do they have a noisy appliance in their home, a yappy dog, or a roommate who needs to watch a game on TV at 6pm sharp? Are there ways to mitigate these environmental interruptions?
If you need to turn off or unplug an appliance in your narrator's home, do so only with their consent and comfort! Explain your reasoning, and ask politely. Always make sure that you leave their home as you found it (if you unplug their refrigerator, make sure you plug it back in before you leave!).
How is the lighting? Standing and table lamps are preferable to overhead lights, which can cast a harsh glow. It may seem counterintuitive, but natural light from a window is not a reliable light source. Rather than risk the possibility of clouds casting shadows on the narrator's face halfway through your interview, you may wish to close the blinds or curtains.
Depending on your recording media, how will you know to switch the tape/SD card? Make sure you feel familiar and comfortable with your device.
Do you have enough storage space on your device? What are you using for backup storage?
Learn more:
Digital Audio Recording: The Basics by Doug Boyd, Oral History in the Digital Age
A rundown of digital recording technology and procedures.
Quick Tips for Better Interview Video by Scott Pennington and Dean Rehberger, Oral History in the Digital Age
Useful tips for capturing a high quality video recording of your interview; many of these suggestions are useful whether you’re recording in person or remotely, via Zoom or another platform.
Adapted from Boston Research Center, Oral History Toolkit, 2020.