GET INSPIRED
Oral history is a method of learning about
the past through interviews with people
who experienced it directly. They can be
well-known people or people you know
personally. The AmericanFolklifeCenter
at the Library of Congress was created to
“preserve and present Americanfolklife,”
and its archive includes many oral history
collections and personal conversations.
The Library of Congress continues to collect
oral histories related to military service
through the Veterans History Project and
also archives recordings of conversations
through StoryCorps, an organization
dedicated to recording, preserving, and
sharing the stories of Americans from all
backgrounds and beliefs. But a recorded
conversation with a family member can
also be a way for you to learn more about your family and to preserve family history and
family stories.
To begin, listening to an oral history from the Veterans History Project, Civil Rights History
Project, Occupational Folklife Project, and StoryCorps from this guide. Then talk about the
following questions together:
1. What surprises you most about the story?
2. What did you learn from the clips that you might not have learned from reading a
book?
3. What do you think later generations will find remarkable about this story?
PRESERVING
FAMILY STORIES
Inside the StoryCorps booth, July 31, 2010. Flickr user
rochelle hartman via Creative Commons.
GET READY
Is there someone you know who has experienced a
historical event who might be available for an interview?
Or is there a family member whose life you’d like to know
more about, or whose stories you want to preserve and
share with others?
Decide whom to interview, then prepare a list of
questions.
Try to keep questions short and avoid any that can be
answered with “yes” or “no.”
If you are interviewing a family member, you can find
suggested questions for a conversation here.
Here are a few examples for interviews with
parents:
• How did you choose my name?
• What was I like as a baby?
• What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up?
• What are your dreams for me?
And questions for interviews with grandparents:
• What was Mom/Dad like growing up?
• Do you remember any songs that you used to sing to her/him? Can you sing them
now?
• What were your parents like?
• How would you like to be remembered?
If your interviewee has served in the military, you can find tips and sample interview
questions in the Veterans History Project Field Kit. Examples include:
Can you tell me about when you went into the military?
How did your military service experiences affect your life?
What would you like people to know or remember from your story?
What do you wish more people knew about veterans?
Decide how you will record the interview, using a digital recorder, a mobile device, or other
item, and test your equipment.
PRESERVING
FAMILY STORIES
Father and daughter at a temporary oral
history listening station in the Library
Programs Lab, November 2019.”
RECORD
Be sure to select a quiet location for recording, then:
Start with date and place of the interview, your name and the name of your interviewee,
the topic
Ask your questions and encourage the interviewee without interrupting.
Take notes as you record if you can.
After your interview is complete, listen to your recording and talk as a family about the
experience. Here are some questions to guide your thoughts:
What did you learn about your interviewee or your family that you did not know
before?What did you learn about the historical events they experienced?
If someone were going to do an oral history interview of you, what events would you talk
about? Is there anything in particular you would want later generations to know about
your experiences?
EXPLORE MORE
If you are interested in formally recording your interview for historical purposes, the
Veterans History Project (VHP) and StoryCorps are accepting submissions. Materials
submitted to VHP must be at least30 minutesfor recorded interviews; 20 pagesfor
original memoirs, diaries or journals; 10 itemsfor original photographs, letters, maps,
pieces of artwork, or military documents. Email vohp@loc.gov or visit the website for more
information.
For formal interviews, keep the interview to 60-90 minutes, be sure to research the time
period and major topics from the person’s life, and conducting a pre-interview may be
helpful to both you and your interviewee. You can find more “Interviewing Tips” from the
American Folklife Center here.
To see how authors have used oral histories in their work:
Watch this talk by author and illustrator Kadir Nelson, who used interviews with
family members to inspire his books and paintings:
Check out this blog post about Liza Mundy’s book,
Code Girls
, which
uses oral history interviews from the Veterans History Project to tell
the stories of women code breakers in World War II.
PRESERVING
FAMILY STORIES