Community Oral History Toolkit
1st Edition
Published on 15. March 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
741 pages
978-1-59874-408-8 (ISBN)
Description
This five-volume set is the definitive guide to all aspects of conducting successful community oral history projects that conform to best practices in the field. What are the fundamental principles that make one oral history project fly and another falter? Community Oral History Toolkit examines theoretical foundations for oral history practice and offers applicable tools and guidelines that you can mold to your project's specific needs. The wealth of existing literature on oral history methodology is designed for academic research; the Toolkit, however, is specifically geared toward community groups unaffiliated with large institutions such as universities. Volumes include an introduction to community oral history, planning and managing community oral history projects, interviewing subjects, and processing the interviews. Volumes in the set are also available separately.
Check for downloadable forms under the e-resources tab.
Check for downloadable forms under the e-resources tab.
Reviews / Votes
"The Toolkit will be an invaluable resource for a wide variety of oral history projects--in schools, libraries, religious institutions, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Families who are using interviews to reconstruct their histories can also use this comprehensive, step-by-step guide. The authors provide the big picture with great background information but also pay attention to details about planning, interview techniques, and archiving. The Toolkit is easy to read and to use. It confirms the significant role that oral history plays as historical evidence."--Brent D. Glass, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution"The Community Oral History Toolkit is a comprehensive introduction to the field. In any research focus, one could fill bookshelves with volumes on the subject. However, for those working, volunteering, or studying in the cultural heritage field the Toolkit provides a solid foundation on which to conduct oral history projects. I particularly like the Toolkit's staged or sequential approach. As someone who has written my share of institutional review board proposals for interviews and gone on to conduct that research, I intend to use the Toolkit as the foundation for future projects."--Robert P. Connolly, Director, C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa
"At last! A straightforward, easy-to-read guide for community organizations. The in-depth treatment covers critical topics and issues often overlooked by community organizations anxious to begin interviewing. I love the emphasis and help with planning a project."--Tom Ikeda, Founding Executive Director, Densho
"The Community Oral History Toolkit is a comprehensive resource offering guidance for designing successful, community-driven oral history projects. MacKay, Quinlan, and Sommer draw on a wide range of expertise to provide the reader useful information on the oral history process. If you are new to oral history, this will be a great place to start."--Douglas A. Boyd, Director, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries
"Imagine a toolbox that offers you well-designed equipment, easy-to-follow instructions for how to use those tools, and useful explanations of the "why" behind the "how." Here three friendly oral history experts provide practical steps community groups can take to move beyond the initial oral history impulse and on down the road to success. Best practices are illustrated with specific project examples that showcase why such practices are "best." Realistic timetables, FAQs, sample documents, equipment specs and more in the toolkit will help communities ignited by the spark of preserving human stories develop a smooth-running mechanism for their journeys of self-discovery."--Lynne Ireland, Deputy Director, Nebraska State Historical Society
"This dream team of community oral historians has done an excellent job compiling this valuable guide and resource. The material is accessible and usable for all shades of the disparate community groups that work with oral history. The toolkit provides handy practical tips for planning, fieldwork, and sharing oral history while it encourages practitioners to attend to higher theoretical questions of approach, authority, and audience. Community oral history projects that incorporate the advice found within these volumes will markedly enhance the quality and meaning of their efforts."--Stephen Sloan, Director, Institute for Oral History, Baylor University
"With the Community Oral History Toolkit, Quinlan, Sommer, and MacKay have rendered a significant service to organizations making their first foray into oral history. More seasoned organizations may still find much of value in these five handbooks, as they offer inspiration for improving or streamlining one's approach to planning and managing new and existing projects." --Lee S. Berry, Oral History Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Walnut Creek
United States
Illustrations
Illustrations
Weight
1520 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59874-408-8 (9781598744088)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Barbara W. Sommer, M.A., has over twenty-five years' 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 Centre 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. Nancy MacKay, MLIS, has been straddling the line between libraries and oral history for more than twenty years. As a librarian she has worked with special collections, cataloguing, and music in various academic settings. As an oral historian she teaches, consults, advises, and writes about oral history, especially oral history and archives. She directed the oral history program at Mills College, from 2001-2011, and currently teaches library science and oral history at San Jose State University. Current research interests include the condition of oral histories in repositories and a model for a metadata scheme for oral histories. Nancy is the author of Curating Oral Histories (Left Coast Press, Inc., 2007) and holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Mary Kay Quinlan, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has held positions as Baltimore Sun Distinguished Lecturer and William Randolph Hearst Visiting Professional at the University of Maryland, and has served as president of the National Press Club. She is editor of the Oral History Association Newsletter and co-author with Barbara Sommer of The Oral History Manual (AltaMira Press, 2002, 2009), Native American Veterans Oral History Manual (Nebraska Foundation for the Preservation of Oral History, 2005), and Discovering Your Connections to History (AASLH, 2000). She is also a co-author with Sommer and Charles E. Trimble of The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard (Left Coast Press, Inc., 2008).
Content
Volume 1. Introduction to Community Oral History Series Preface Volume Preface IntroductionChapter 1: Understanding the Study of History Chapter 2: Defining Oral History; Defining Communty Chapter 3: Special Considerations for Community Oral History Chapter 4: Oral History Tools and Technology Chapter 5: Preserving and Using Oral History Materials Chapter 6: Ethical Considerations for Oral Historians Chapter 7: Exploring Best Practices for Community Oral History Projects Chapter 8: Overview of the Community Oral History Toolkit Appendices: Glossary, Sample Forms, Bibliography IndexVolume 2. Planning a Community Oral History Project Series Preface Volume Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Why Plan? Chapter 2: Project Planning Overview Chapter 3: Getting Started Chapter 4: Legal and Ethical Considerations Chapter 5: Project Administration Chapter 6: All About Money Chapter 7: Recording Technology Chapter 8: Rounding Out the List Selected Resources Appendix IndexVolume 3. Managing a Community Oral History ProjectSeries PrefaceVolume PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1: Project ManagementChapter 2: People ManagmentChapter 3: Equipment ManagementChapter 4: Money ManagementChapter 5: Interview ManagementChapter 6: Post-Interview ManagementSelected ResourcesAppendixIndexVolume 4. Interviewing in Community Oral History Series Preface Volume Preface IntroductionChapter 1: What, Exactly, is an Oral History Interview? Chapter 2: Understanding the Ethics of Oral History Interviews Chapter 3: Before the Interview: What Planners Need to Do Chapter 4: Before the Interview: What Interviewers Need to Do Chapter 5: During the Interview Chapter 6: After the Interview Selected Resources Appendix IndexVolume 5. After the Community Oral History Interview Series Preface Volume Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Getting Started Chapter 2: Processing Chapter 3: Transcribing Chapter 4: Cataloging Chapter 5: Preservation and Access Chapter 6: Winding Up Chapter 7: Using Oral Histories Chapter 8: Final Words Selected Resources Appendix Index