Oral History Instructional Video

Summary

Sarah Rudin, an oral historian, introduces the key steps involved in planning and conducting an oral history project. She emphasizes that interviews can bring the past vividly to life, but they require careful preparation, ethical practice, and thoughtful preservation.

Main ideas and recommendations

• Respect the interviewee’s rights

  • Obtain a signed permission or rights agreement before the interview.
  • Make sure the interviewee understands and can decide how the recording will be used, transcribed, stored, and accessed.
  • Remember that the story belongs to the interviewee.

• Make interviews accessible

  • Transcribing interviews is an effective way to help others access them.
  • Give the transcript to the interviewee so they can review and approve what has been recorded.

• Respond sensitively to emotion

  • Memories can bring up unexpected emotions.
  • Pay attention to how the interviewee is feeling and check in if they become upset.
  • If appropriate, help connect them with a counselling service.

• Prepare and plan questions

  • Research the interviewee and the subject in advance.
  • Develop open-ended questions that give the interviewee room to tell their story.
  • Create a general set of questions for the project, then adapt them to each person’s experiences.
  • Plan a clear thematic structure, but do not worry if every question is not covered; another interview can be arranged.
  • Practise asking the questions before conducting the interview.

• Record good-quality audio

  • Use suitable equipment and a high-quality recording format.
  • Choose a quiet location and reduce avoidable background noise, such as appliances, heating units, family members, or pets.
  • At the start of the recording, state identifying details—such as the interviewee’s name, project, and date—as a safeguard if the file is later separated from its filename.

• Name, store, and back up files

  • Use a consistent filename that includes the interviewee’s name, project, and interview date.
  • Keep copies in at least two separate locations to reduce the risk of loss or corruption.
  • Victorian collecting organizations are encouraged to upload files to Victorian Collections. Share interviews and sound files only when permissions allow.
  • Other organizations should maintain backups, for example, on multiple external hard drives.

Rudin closes by describing oral history as a privilege and encouraging people to enjoy the process of hearing and preserving others’ life experiences.

Speakers and sources featured

• Sarah Rudin — Oral historian and presenter.
• Museums Australia Victoria — Organization Rudin says she worked with on an oral history project involving ex-service communities.