On April 10th, we held our latest GLAM Faculty Development workshop, “Incorporating Oral Histories into Curriculum” with the Atlanta University Center’s Robert W. Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center Processing Archivist, Brittany Newberry. During this workshop Newberry provided an overview of the basics of oral histories as a scholarly resource, their limitations and challenges, and the dos and don’ts of conducting an oral history interview.
Brittany Newberry explains the basics of conducting oral history interviews
Workshop attendees learned that oral history interviews can serve as a useful way of filling in the gaps when researching a particular topic by connecting personal experiences with the historical narrative. Though these interviews are subjective, and based on personal memory, they are still a valuable form of historical records because of the personal aspect of the record. After Newberry discussed the steps to conducting an oral history interview, technologies available, and the ethical considerations of oral histories, workshop participants paired off with one another to conduct mock oral history interviews.
Workshop attendees partner up to practice mock oral history interviews
If you are interested in a consultation with Archives Research Center staff to incorporate an oral history assignment into your course, you can reach them by email at archives@auctr.edu