"Varieties of Oral History Projects: Community Studies" / 407

Valerie Raleigh Yow points out that "[. . .] we would miss an opportunity to learn if we began with a set list of topics" (409) in our research. That is, we should come with some questions when we interview people, but the questions should be flexible, and should not already have answers. In "Varieties of Oral History Projects: Community Studies," Yow gives us some very good strategies for structuring an interview and seeking connections between the interview and the world surrounding it. In fact, according to Yow, we should metareflect on the process of the interview itself: The interviewer has much power. The interviewer brings research and methodology knowledge into the interview, and by asking certain questions, the researcher necessarily leaves out other questions. Who's to say that the other questions might be more accurate, more true to "factual history"? Yow is an independent scholar who researches and writes histories.

There is much to consider when thinking about an oral history interview, including "deeds of gifts." This pamphlet offers some valuable information (http://www.indiana.edu/~ohrc/pamph1.htm). Other quick lists are available at:

• How to Conduct an Oral History Interview (http://www.huarchivesnet.howard.edu/9911huarnet/ohtech1.htm)
  
• One-Minute Guide to Oral Histories by Carole Hicke (http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/ROHO/1minute.html)
  
• LSS Research-- A Selective Dictionary (a research methods bibliography) (http://www.bolton.ac.uk/learning/subj/arts/lite.htm)