Extract from: Government of British Columbia Historical Archives Manual “Oral History” – part 1 of 9.

From Memory to Artifact: The Recorded Interview

Oral history interviews are a special kind of sound recording which combine complex human factors with the technical aspects of tape recording. You can, of course, casually record any conversation and occasionally produce an interesting and informative document, but careful preparation and a foreknowledge of the potentials and pitfalls of interviewing can make the production of a worthwhile historical document more likely. This chapter describes how to prepare for and undertake oral history interviews and discusses many of the challenges of this art, but only experience and practice will enable you to develop research and interview skills.

To Record Or Not To Record

Anyone planning to conduct an oral history interview should first consider if this is the best way to achieve their goal. Some interviewers, of course, begin with the idea of tape recording a particular person for permanent preservation but others researchers start with a topic which might be investigated in a variety of ways. In the first case the need for oral history is obvious. But for the latter there is a real question as to whether an interview is the best way to obtain the information. Interviewers should also consider the broader historical significance of their interview perhaps recording information not immediately pertinent to the interviewer’s topic but which will obviously be useful to others.

Any topic which involves oral tradition or living memory is a likely prospect for oral history, especially if there is a shortage of other information and human memory is the only source available. But even in cases where ample printed sources exist it may be necessary, as in the ease of a radio program, to produce an oral version or to capture the voice of a protagonist. Decisions to record are made not only in relation to the historical record but also in relation to the goals of the project.

The besetting sin of the historian has been to “tidy up” the past, to impute pattern to accident and purpose to fortuity …. (Oral History) gives adequate scope to the play of contingency, change, ignorance and sheer stupidity.
—A.M. Schleshinger, Jr. Oral History

Oral history is not the best way to obtain some kinds of information: lists. Statistics,  and even some kinds of genealogical information, are better recorded on paper even when the original source is the spoken word. Other information is best collected in the form of written questionnaires. If, however, interviewees can add to existing information with first person evaluations descriptions or anecdotes an interview is the best way to proceed

Next : Part 2 of 9 - Interview Types