Oral History Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below you will find a growing list of frequently asked questions posed by members about all matters of Oral History, with the most recently added items displayed first. If you have a question, for which you feel the answer would benefit other visitors to this site, contact Rob Perks, (rob.perks@bl.uk).
Q. What should I do if I have interviews that people working in the media want to access?
A. An OHS media working group has prepared guidelines for working with media enquiries. View this document at: http://www.ohs.org.uk/public_docs/Media_Guidelines_1006.pdf
Contributor: Michelle Winslow
Category: MediaMore information can be found at this link here.
Q. How can I become a volunteer with an oral history project?
A. The Oral History Society website has a section for volunteer recruitment. If you are seeking a voluntary position or would like to advertise for volunteers, please go to the volunteer pages of this website.
(www.ohs.org.uk/volunteers/index.php)
Contributor: Michelle Winslow
Category: Training OpportunitiesMore information can be found at this link here.
Q. Where can I find information about caring for CDs and DVDs?
A.There is an online publication about caring for CDs and DVDs at:
http://www.bl.uk/npo/publicationsleaf.htmlProduced by the National Preservation Office, British Library.
Free printed copies are available on request.
Contributor: Michelle Winslow
Category: TechnologyMore information can be found at this link here.
Q. We are a small community organisation without any institutional support. How can we insure our oral history collection?
A. Firstly. you can minimise the risks by keeping copies of all your interviews and associated documentation in a separate location from your originals. There are some insurers who may consider insuring archives and artefacts such as recorded interviews, and these are listed below. Inclusion here does not constitute a recommendation.Before contacting them, you need to consider how you value your archives for these purposes, e.g. how much it would cost to make new copies of them, or to restore the documents that relate to them. There is an article on this subject, ‘Valuing Archives for Insurance’ by Lieselotte Clark, in Business Archives Principles and Practice, No.75 (May 1998).
Hiscox Insurance: 25 London Road, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 1PE; tel. 0870 084 3777 (8am - 6pm Monday to Friday); email customerservices@hiscox.com; or request a quote at http://www.hiscox.com/.
Stamp Insurance Services, CGI Services Ltd, 29 Bowhay Lane, Exeter EX4 1PE, 01392 433949.
Contributor: Cynthia Brown
Category: Ethical IssuesQ. Where can I study oral history?
A.London Met University now runs an MA in Life History Research:
Click hereSussex University also has an MA in Life History Research:
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/clhlwrUniversity of Huddersfield now runs an MA in Oral History:
Click here
Contributor: Verusca Calabria
Category: Training OpportunitiesQ. Where can I get some basic training in oral history?
A. Visit our Training page within this site for more information!
Contributor: Graham Smith
Category: Training OpportunitiesMore information can be found at this link here.
Q. Can you suggest any audio editing software which is fairly straightforward for me to download?
A.For an excellent, easy to use and powerful audio editing application, you may wish to consider "Audacity". You will find further information about the many features available plus links to downloading this software on their website, which can be found at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features
Contributor: Anthony Greenwood
Category: TechnologyMore information can be found at this link here.