Preserving Oral Histories

Students, faculty, and staff members learned about the value of oral histories and the importance of preserving them at the digital humanities workshop April 18. The workshop gave attendees information on how to start recording these histories. 

Whitney Russell, Digital Projects Librarian, stated oral histories are recorded interviews with individuals who have firsthand knowledge about a past event. 

"One of the reasons why we do oral history projects is to capture the wisdom of people who are living libraries. These recordings preserve voices and memories of people before they pass on," Whitney said. "It is not just about a moment in time, but about preserving historical insight." 

UTA Libraries has partnered with faculty on oral history projects in the past. One of these projects is the Maverick Veteran's Voices Project called Mav Vets, through the UTA History department. Launched in fall 2012, Mav Vets collects, shares, and preserves the experiences and stories of UTA Community members who have served in the U.S. military. 

The Libraries has also partnered with the Center for Mexican American Studies on the Tejano Voices oral history project that focuses on 176 oral history interviews with Tejano and Tejana leaders from across the state conducted by Dr. José Angel Gutiérrez, 

Whitney stated that before starting an oral history project, there are several steps that people need to take before hitting the record button. Some of these steps include researching the interview topic, preparing questions, speaking with the interviewee beforehand so they can be prepared, and taking time to listen to the answers.   

People also need to consider the location of their interview and the equipment used to record. Background noise at a location can affect the quality of the recording. The type of device used in the interview can also affect quality.   

Whitney stated that you have to consider what you will do with the materials once a project is done. A factor overlooked when a project is completed is the recording storage.  

Make several copies of the recording and have it stored in multiple locations, such as on the cloud or an external hard drive, and not in a single location. Thinking about long-term storage is essential because data can degrade over time. 

It is also important to find a recording of a permanent home. Consider donating the recording with the interviewee's permission to places like a museum, a library, or an archive to share this history with the public. 

If people have questions about starting an oral history project, they can contact Whitney Russell at UTA Libraries at whitney.russell@uta.edu. 

Whitney will provide guidance and share the resources available at UTA Libraries to help you complete your project.