Oral history is the recording of people’s memories, experiences and opinions. It is:
- A living history of everyone’s unique life experiences
- An opportunity for those people who have been ‘hidden from history’ to have their voice heard
- A rare chance to talk about and record history face-to-face
- A source of new insights and perspectives that may challenge our view of the past.
Strike a Light offers a programme of activities to train staff, freelancers and volunteers in undertaking oral history interviews. This can be done as a two day workshop, or more in-depth series of training over a month (four days).
Structure of Programme 10:00-16:00
Day One:
- Introductions to the course and expectations
- What is oral history and how can it be used
- Introduction to recorders including: Zoom H4, and Marantz
Lunch
- What is a ‘good’ interview
- Planning an interview
- Oral history paperwork: summaries, transcripts, permission forms.
- Practice interview and reflection
Day Two:
- Practice interview and reflection
- Issues to consider: Ethical problems, copyright
- Planning our interviews
Lunch
- Interviewees from local projects to be invited to be interviewed by course participants.
A free training pack with resources for each participant is provided as part of the course.
Please email: contact@archive.strikealight.org or call 07727 006538 to book a session, or discuss group booking discounts.
** Upon request **
Extra day session:
- Further interview practice and experience
- Post-course planning
Learning Objectives:
The training covers:
- oral history: its uses and benefits
- planning oral history interviews
- interview techniques
- interview practice and reflection on their interview experiences
- Ethics, copyright and issues to consider
- An introduction to post-interview issues: editing material, transcription and summaries, oral history on the web.
- Signposting to further support
This course doesn’t include training in audio editing. We can offer this as a separate one day training session, or this can be done independently through the Oral History Society. Please get in touch for details.
All participants will also undertake at least one full oral history interview during the course.
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Strike a Light can also offer a support service if you would like help with any aspect of oral history. If so, please get in touch. We are happy to help with any of the following:
- Starting up an oral history project
- Advice on funding applications and equipment
- Oral history training
- Oral history editing
- School oral history projects
- Making personal or family recordings
Please email contact@archive.strikealight.org or call 07727 006538 to discuss your queries further.