Overview

The Oral History Manual is designed to help anyone interested in doing oral history research to think like an oral historian. Recognizing that oral history is a research methodology, the authors define oral history and then discuss the methodology in the context of the oral history life cycle – the guiding steps that take a practitioner from idea through access/use. They examine how to articulate the purpose of an interview, determine legal and ethical parameters, identify narrators and interviewers, choose equipment, develop budgets and record-keeping systems, prepare for and record interviews, care for interview materials, and use the interview information. In this third edition, in addition to new information on methodology, memory, technology, and legal options incorporated into each chapter, a completely new chapter provides guidelines on how to analyze interview content for effective use of oral history interview information.  The Oral History Manual provides an updated and expanded road map and a solid introduction to oral history for all oral history practitioners, from students to community and public historians.

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9781442270787

Table of Contents

Reviews

The 3rd edition of The Oral History Manual retains its concise and logical framework of the core of oral history practice while adding extended context for ethical and legal considerations, updates to technological considerations, and addressing the boundaries of oral history in contrast with story movements in current popular culture. It continues to be a standard in communities and classrooms. -- Sarah Milligan, Head, Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, Hyle Family Endowed Professor, Oklahoma State University Library For almost a decade, The Oral History Manual has served as the foundation for every oral history workshop I've given at the local, state, and national levels. This new edition will continue to be the foundational text for me, and many others, for the next decade to come. -- Jeff D. Corrigan, Assistant Librarian, California State University Monterey Bay Oral historians Barbara Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan have done it again. In less than 300 pages they lay out the roadmap for practicing ethical oral history in the complex 21st century, then explain best practices for each stage along the way. A must for the bookshelves of libraries, oral history programs, and practitioners at all levels. -- Nancy MacKay, Oral historian, Editor of Practicing Oral History series

Oral History Manual certainly merits reading by family historians who are interested in the mechanics of oral interviews. Its authors are extremely knowledgeable oral history technicians . . . it is worth adding to any oral historian's library.--Sheila Benedict, CGRS National Genealogical Society Quarterly Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan have written a concise yet sophisticated guide for community groups embarking on oral history projects. It is also an excellent resource for seasoned professionals who routinely conduct oral history workshops for historical societies and museums.--Lu Ann Jones Oral History Review Authors Barbara Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan produced a practical guide for those involved in this field. Both have multiple years of experience as oral historians, and the clear, engaging style of this volume fully illustrates their expertise . . . invaluable to anyone involved with oral histories . . . [a] necessary guide for public historians and others involved in research.--Debra A. Blake, Office of Archives and History North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. Lxxx, No. 3, July '03 In The Oral History Manual Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan answer nearly any question the budding, or experienced, oral historian could possibly conjure . . . comprehensive but concise . . . Many manuals of style and technique exist, but this is perhaps the most straightforward, easy-to-use, and readily available one on the market . . . given the increasing awareness in primary and secondary schools of the importance of oral history in their curricula, as well as the swelling number of historical societies, private institutions, and individuals interested in the craft of oral preservation, this book should find a place on many a bookshelf.--Kimberly K. Porter, University of North Dakota The Annals Of Iowa, Vol. 62, No. 2, Spring 2003 ...a how-to guide for mastering the techniques of oral history and methods for collecting and processing the audio results....Quinlan and Sommer provide good, practical advice regarding the interview setting, interview techniques, and processing and care of oral histories. They deal with copyright issues, Internet distribution, interview equipment, project budgets and research preparation. Notes at the end of each chapter provide excellent resources for each of the topics. They also provide appendices with forms for keeping a project organized and obtaining important information as well as a glossary of terms, a tremendously useful annotated bibliography, and an index.--Donna Sinclair, Oregon Historical Quarterly and Portland State University Oregon Historical Quarterly Covers in good detail all the basic steps of setting up an oral history project. . . . Chapters discuss legal and ethical issues; technology; pre-interview activities such as background research; the interview itself; processing; and preservation of the final product. There is also an extensive list of ideas of how to incorporate the interviewinto public programming. . . . The volume also includes sample forms, a glossary, bibliography, and reprints the principles and standards of the Oral History Association. The Oral History Manual presents one of the most cogent descriptions of oral history and how it differs from other methods of information gathering, whether the journalist interview or field-interviewing as conducted by folklorists.--Linda Morton-Keithley, Idaho State Historical Society Northwest Oral History Association

Author Information

Barbara W. Sommer, M.A., has spent her career in the field of oral history and public history, serving as historical organization director and director or co-director for numerous oral history projects. She has presented at state, regional, and national, and international conferences and has taught oral history in post-secondary and community settings. She is a long-time member of the Oral History Association where she has served in several leadership positions. Sommer is the author of the award-winning Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. Mary Kay Quinlan, Ph.D., is an associate dean in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also has taught at the University of Maryland and Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is editor of the Oral History Association Newsletter and has been active in regional and national oral history activities for many years. Quinlan has conducted oral history workshops and presented at state, regional, national and international conferences.

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