Amateur Historian Seeking Advice on Interviewing Sources

September 16, 2015 12:26 PM

I'm writing a book about an event in local history and I'm doing a lot of new research using primary sources. As part of this, I've been interviewing descendants of the parties involved. What is the protocol or best practice for sharing your findings with them?

I am inclined to keep as much of my findings as close to my vest as possible so that they don't get out before my book, but part of me wants to share them with the family as a quid pro quo type of exchange... Advice?

posted by entropicamericana to Grab Bag (1 answer total)

Best answer: How great. What you're doing would come under the topic of oral history recording, and there are great guidelines for it out there. You should definitely make a copy of the interview - recorded and/or transcribed - available to the person who gave you the interview. These can become valuable family treasures in themselves, and it is considered only just and right to give them first access. It can also be very helpful to let people see the material before you print it in your book, because they may be able to correct mistakes and misunderstandings you don't want in print.

People are sharing a lot with you when they do this, committing themselves to the record and sometimes revisiting sad and painful moments. It can take a lot out of them. So do remember that as you go about the work, and treat them with all the respect and kindness you can muster. They don't have to share, after all - they are doing a favor. You should use a consent and interview release form and go over it with everyone before you begin, and get their signature. Make sure they know the many ways their content might be used (in your book, in reviews of the book online and in print, in broadcast interviews you do, etc).

Principles and Best Practices from the Oral History Association
Oral History Ethics from the Oral History Society
Oral History Project Guidelines from the Minnesota History Center
Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History from DoHistory.org
Oral History Guidelines from the WWII Museum
posted by Miko at 1:38 PM on September 16, 2015 [6 favorites]