What an oral history is
An oral history is a recorded conversation in which a person tells about their experience, usually in answer to prepared and open questions. It is different from a casual chat or a one-time quote: it is a planned interview, made to be kept and used, with the speaker’s agreement. In exhibits, oral histories can give a human voice to events, trades, places and communities that objects alone cannot explain.
Because the material is personal, the work carries responsibilities. The speaker is lending their memories, and it is the project’s job to treat them with care.
Before the interview
Define purpose and scope
Decide what the project is for and who will use the recordings. Is it for one exhibit, a permanent archive, or both? Who will hold the recordings long term? These answers shape the consent form and the choice of equipment. Where the topic involves a community, talk with that community early, as discussed under source communities.
Choose and prepare the participant
Contact people respectfully and explain the purpose, how long the interview may take, how the recording will be used, and that they may decline questions or stop at any time. Offer a chance to meet before recording. Some people prefer to bring a friend or relative, and some prefer a familiar location.
Research and questions
Learn the basics of the topic and the person’s background so you can listen well. Write a list of open questions, such as “Can you tell me about…” or “What do you remember about…”, rather than questions with a yes-or-no answer. Treat the list as a guide, not a script. The most valuable moments often come from following up on something unexpected. Think carefully about questions on painful subjects, and prepare for the possibility that the person becomes upset. The advice on sensitive content applies here, including having a plan for breaks and support.
Consent and rights
Informed consent is central. In general terms, the participant should understand and agree in writing to:
- That they are being recorded and what form the recording takes (audio, video or both).
- How the recording may be used, such as in a gallery, online, in publications or in education.
- Who will hold the recording and for how long.
- Whether they may be named, or remain anonymous.
- Whether any restrictions apply, such as sections kept closed for a period of time.
- Who owns the copyright, or whether they are giving a license, and what rights they keep.
- How they can later ask questions or withdraw permission, as far as is practical.
Requirements differ by country and institution, and some uses may need legal review, so seek advice from an appropriate professional or an institution experienced in oral history practice. Use plain language in the form and go through it in conversation, not only on paper. Consent should be ongoing: if plans change materially, such as publishing online when the original agreement covered only a gallery, go back to the speaker. Related issues for filming visitors are covered in visitor consent, and personal data is treated under visitor privacy.
If the speaker is a minor, or lacks capacity to decide, additional protections and permission from a guardian generally apply.
Recording
Good audio matters most. Use a quiet room, a decent external microphone placed close to the speaker, and headphones to monitor. Record a few seconds of room sound. Check levels at the start, and stay unobtrusive. Switch off phones, fans and anything that hums.
If video is recorded, plan the framing and lighting, and keep the camera simple and still. Video adds intimacy and also makes anonymity harder. Make a decision about which is needed before recording.
At the start, record a short announcement: the date, place, interviewer and speaker’s name, and a statement that the speaker agrees to the interview. Take notes with time markers, so important passages are easy to locate later.
Listen more than you speak. Allow silences, because people often fill them with the most thoughtful remarks. Avoid correcting people’s memories. Oral history records how someone remembers events, which is valuable even when it differs from documents, and it can be read alongside other sources.
Handling the recording afterward
Back up the files at once, in more than one place. Keep an unedited master and make all edits on copies. Name files consistently, and keep the consent form linked to the recording. Record the details about the interview as descriptive metadata, as discussed in collection metadata, such as the speaker, date, topics and any restrictions.
Transcribing the recording makes it searchable, helps editors and serves deaf and hard of hearing visitors. Transcripts need checking against the audio, particularly for names, places and dialect. The speaker may be offered a chance to review their transcript. See captions and transcripts for the closely related process of producing accurate text.
Editing for exhibit use
An exhibit may use only a short excerpt of a long interview, and editing has ethical weight. A few principles:
- Preserve meaning. Do not cut in a way that changes what the person meant, or stitches together separate remarks to say something new.
- Keep context. A short extract might need a brief label stating who is speaking and when.
- Be careful with trimming speech. Removing a few filler words is usually acceptable. Heavy smoothing can change character, and a person’s way of speaking is part of their testimony.
- Share the excerpt. Where practical, let the speaker hear or read the proposed excerpt before it is displayed, and honor any objection.
- Respect restrictions. Never use a passage the speaker asked to keep private.
- Check accents and language. If the interview is in another language, translation needs care, as explained in exhibit translation.
Pair excerpts with a photograph or object if that helps, but avoid illustrating spoken words with pictures that imply things not said.
Presenting and preserving
Short clips with the speaker’s name and a transcript work well on listening stations and screens. Provide captions or a transcript for visitors who cannot hear, and consider the sound environment so the speaker can be heard without disturbing others. A longer archive may be offered for specialist users.
Long-term care is part of the promise. Decide where the recordings will be kept, who can access them and how formats will be refreshed over the years. If a project ends, the recordings should not simply disappear.