Services

Oral History in Practice

We encourage incorporating oral history into your curriculum or community activity related to campus history. Oral history interviews provide context and humanize a topic, helping to

engage your audience on a deeper, more personal level.

We welcome campus and community collaboration in our efforts to gather new stories. Our program also offers guidance and training for those embarking on an oral history project. Individuals trained by the UWOHP in oral history best practices are permitted to borrow audio equipment to facilitate their project.

For more information, please contact Distinguished Oral Historian Troy Reeves or consult the following:

UWOHP Suites of Services 2015 [pdf]

The Interview

An oral history interview is usually conducted with one individual at a time although we occasionally conduct group interviews. We interview current and former UW administrators, faculty, staff and students, along with others who are connected to our campus in some manner.

Narrators

A narrator is the preferred oral history term for an interviewee. We gladly accept recommendations for narrators. If you would like to nominate a narrator, please complete the UWOHP Narrator Nomination Form 2015 [pdf]. Also, starting in January 2024 and under certain circumstances, some folks who agree to contribute their stories & memories to our collection will receive compensation for their time.

Past Narrators

The Oral History Program is currently contacting past narrators to collect missing release forms. These forms are legally necessary for us to preserve and share interviews in our collection.

If you have been the subject of an OHP interview (or know someone who has), please consult our current list of interviewees for whom release forms remain missing. We appreciate any help you can provide in tracking down past narrators in order to release their interviews.

UWOHP missing release forms [pdf] – updated January 2015