Oral History
Trained by the Oral History Society, and with experience of managing projects for the National Trust and Woodland Trust, in addition to interviewing for my local Oral History Group, I can provide a personal oral history package for you and your family. Recordings are made using a professional Zoom Hn4 Pro recorder. After the interview, an audio .WAV file and a PDF transcript will be provided for you to keep. I travel throughout England, Scotland and Wales to interview for oral histories.
What Is An Oral History?
An oral history is a recording made of someone talking about their life, or an aspect of their life, to an experienced interviewer. Histories are recorded in quiet places, one to one, either in people’s homes or at other specified locations. Oral histories are valuable snapshots of the interviewee’s life. They can be from a certain period, or about a particular event or events. A professional oral historian will help interviewees talk about their lives in a natural and interesting way, encouraging even the most reticent subject to open up.
The Importance Of Oral Histories
We can remember our older relatives, we can tell stories about them and go into great detail about who they were and what they were like, from our point of view. An oral history allows their voice to be heard from their point of view. Over time, our memories become clouded and we forget aspects of people’s lives that were once at the forefront of our minds. With an oral history recording our parents and grandparents can be remembered by us forever in sharp focus, coming alive in a very personal way to future generations who never knew them.
My Oral History Services
My Oral History Society training included interviewing, editing, and archiving oral histories. I’m also trained in recording more sensitive interviews where the participants are receiving palliative care.
My fees begin at £210 for a one to one-and-a-half-hour interview, preparing the necessary legal paperwork, transcribing the interview, providing a timed summary, and editing the interview to remove any long pauses or distractions. The .WAV audio file is provided as a digital file sent by transfer.