Oral History Interviews
What is Oral History and why does the
Backbone Ridge History Group want to collect it?
The key to learning about
the past is
to talk to people in the community that have stories, memories,
traditions, and
pieces of the past – photographs, quilts, diaries, journals, farm and
household
items, etc. It is these things that provide that connection to the past
and
help us understand and learn about the generations of people that lived
and
worked along the Backbone Ridge. The Backbone Ridge History Group, in
its quest
for collecting historical information, determined that conducting oral
history
interviews is a very important activity and it supports the Group’s
mission. Interviews began in 2010 and
continue as we reach out to members of the community to collect stories
that
help us learn more about the past.
What can you expect in an interview?
In preparation for the
interview,
standard questions from the Smithsonian’s Oral History Guide are
prepared to
guide the conversation; however, these questions generally just get the
process
started. Many times after a conversation is started, memories begin to
surface
and the interview takes on a life of its own, trailing down memory lane. The questions then become a way to draw out
some details. Often times at this stage,
old photographs are brought out and shared. The old adage- a picture is
worth a
thousand words really holds true, and often arrangements are made to
come back
and scan photos.
What happens after the interview?
Following
the interview which is recorded, a draft transcript is made and
returned for
editing. The final written transcript is approved by the person who was
interviewed for use by the Backbone Ridge History Group and a printed
copy is presented
to them for their use. The Group will maintain the transcript in our
repository
to be made available to researchers and historians for years to come. The Group will also include these transcripts
on our internet website, so that information about the Ridge can be
shared with
others who are not in commuting vicinity of The Backbone Ridge History
Group
Research Center.