Oral History of Illinois Agriculture
Doing Oral History
This section of the AV Barn shows you what you can do with oral histories you take of your family members and friends or oral histories on topics, for instance a town history or careers. Techniques of question-making, interviewing, and recording will make it easier to interview, and examples of ethical considerations may help you avoid embarrassing moments. The technology resources and our pre-made samples will direct you to shareware to create movies, slideshows, galleries, and other multimedia projects. The teachers section offers tips to students of several age groups on doing oral history in the classroom. (Click on the + signs to expand the content below.)
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How can I do someone's oral history?
[-] Watch our instructional video clips to learn how to do oral history with children or adults on any subject. Find out how to create and sequence questions, build rapport with the interviewee, and follow oral history ethics.
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What can I do with my oral history?
[-] Use a computer to digitize your interview, images, music, sounds, and text. Tell a story, make a movie, a slideshow, a sound-slideshow, or a web site. Take a look at the examples we made from our interviews and archive materials., which you can download and use for personal and educational purposes.
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How do I create multimedia for oral history?
[-] Technology Resources will help you find digital software and equipment. It also provides video clips of the creative steps. Use our archived online materials or provide your own photographs, video or audio footage, music, and text.
