Practicing Oral History in Historical Organizations

by Barbara W Sommer

Overview

It has been half a century since the last book that addressed how historical societies can utilize oral history. In this brief, practical guide, internationally known oral historian Barbara W. Sommer applies the best practices of contemporary oral historians to the projects that historical organizations of all sizes and sorts might develop. The book -covers project personnel options, funding options, legal and ethical issues, interviewing techniques, and cataloging guidelines;-identifies helpful steps for historical societies when developing and doing oral history projects;-includes a dozen model case studies;-provides additional resources, templates, forms, and bibliography for the reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611328646
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/30/2015
Series:	Practicing Oral History , #4
Pages:	213
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Barbara W. Sommer, M.A., has over twenty-five years of experience in the oral history field. She has been principal investigator and director of more than twenty major oral history projects and has taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Vermilion Community College. She is a long-time member of the Oral History Association and is author of many key publications in the field, including, with Mary Kay Quinlan, The Oral History Manual, 2nd ed. (AltaMira Press, 2009) and with Charles E. Trimble and Mary Kay Quinlan, The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard (Left Coast Press, Inc., 2008). Her award-winning book Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008) draws on oral history interviews about the Civilian Conservation Corps, as does her essay, “’We Had This Opportunity:’ African Americans and the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota,” in The State We’re In: Reflections on Minnesota History, Annette Atkins and Deborah L. Miller, eds, (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010). She also is the author of a history of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln based on oral history (University of Nebraska Press, 2012). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree in history from the University of Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Foreword Preface 1. Introduction Part One: Oral History and the Oral History Life Cycle 2. Oral History 3. The Oral History Life Cycle Part Two: Oral History for Public Audiences 4. Legal Standards and Options 5. Ethical Guidelines 6. Management 7. The Art of Interviewing 8. Stewardship Part Three: Oral History: Step by Step 9. From the Idea Through the Plan 10. The Interview 11: Preservation and Access/Use Part Four: Reflections and Resources 12. Reflections and Resources Appendix A: Oral History Process Steps Appendix B: Oral History Equipment Guidelines Appendix C: Pathways to Access Appendix D: Forms Glossary Notes Further Reading Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"Practicing Oral History succeeds admirably. It gives those interested in doing oral history at any type of historical organization a primer. On top of that, it provides readers an introduction to one of oral history’s most beloved practitioners and some of her valued colleagues. It can furnish one then with a community to join, not just a book to read."— Troy Reeves, University Wisconsin-Madison, The Public Historian

"Barbara Sommer’s (2015) Practicing Oral History in Historical Organizations is a welcome addition to the field of qualitative research methodology. Generally the topics that public historians, ethnographers, and other practitioners of oral history probe are fragmented and lack human voice. Sommer’s book speaks to practitioners who collect, archive, and use oral history."— Solaiman M. Fazel, Anthropology Book Forum

"This reference work is a versatile text that can equally serve both independent practitioners working with repositories and the organizations that collect, preserve, and interpret history for pubic audiences ... I would recommend it to any of those institutions who want to embark on oral history creation and curation, particularly to fill collections gaps, reach new audiences, and foster new constituencies."— Sarah Schmitt, Oral History Review

From the Publisher