PRIMARY SOURCES

WHAT IS AN ORAL HISTORY?

• Record of individuals' opinions and direct feelings
• Specific to an event they were involved in
• Can fill in gaps of written records
• Obtained through interviews

EXAMPLES

• Audio and video recordings
• Film
• Written transcripts

STRENGTHS

• Story element appeals to audience
• Provides info that may otherwise be lacking
• Informant can be contacted if living
• Personalizes history
• Dialect/speech/emotions give insight

LIMITATIONS

• Distortion, inaccuracy, & inconsistency may be factors
• May be influenced by biased interviewer
• Unfamiliar words or phrases may not be clarifed
• Editor of interview may contribute bias
• Information given based on questions asked

WHERE TO FIND ORAL HISTORIES

• Library of Congress American Memory
• Moder Inventors Documentation Program
• History Matters: Oral Histories Online
• Look on page 39 for more info

APPLICATION

• Analyze and understand
• Design and conduct interviews