Oral History
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Oral history interviews help Park Service rangers document the history of park sites and interpret them for visitors. |
People's stories are among the most valuable
resources that the National Park Service preserves and protects for
future generations. Need help with an oral history project or want to
know how parks are putting oral history into practice? Here's the place
to begin.
Oral History Resources
Oral History in the National Park Service
Listen to the Stories of American History
Read Oral History Interviews
Consult Articles about Park Service Oral History Projects
Oral History Resources
The Oral History SharePoint Site features oral history training materials in the Shared Documents folder. Learn how to plan and design an oral history project, choose recording equipment, plan and conduct interviews, process and archive recordings, and use oral histories for interpretive programming.
Directory of Oral History in the National Park Service (July 2010) (Word document)
Oral History Legal Release Form (2009) (Word document)
Oral History in the Digital Age
The Oral History Association Web site has a wealth of information about planning and conducting oral history projects:
Have questions about oral history or need help planning a project? Contact Lu Ann Jones, staff historian, Park History Program, at luann_jones@nps.gov or 202-354-2219.• General Principles of Oral History and Best Practices for Oral History (2009)
• Oral history centers and collections in the United States and abroad and contacts for regional and international oral history organizations.
Oral History in the National Park Service
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Students in the 2012 "Effective Oral History" course interview Michael Watson, former superintendent at Mather Training Center, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. |
Listen to the stories of American History
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Read Oral History interviews
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Gateway National Recreation Area
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
Alaska parks—Denali, Katmai, Lake Clark, Sitka, and Yukon-Charley Rivers—have collaborated with the digital branch of the oral history program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Find interviews, photographs and other resources at Project Jukebox.
Consult articles about Park Service oral history projects
Janet M. McDonnell, "Oral History in the National Park Service" (pdf) Copyright 2003 by the Oral History Association. Reprinted by permission of the University of California Press.
J. Todd Moye, "The Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project, and Oral History in the National Park Service" (pdf) Copyright 2002 by the Organization of American Historians. Reprinted by permission of The Journal of American History.
Heidi Ridgley, "P. O. Box 1142: World War II: The Lost Chapter"
"Oral History: The Hyde Park Project"
"Sand Creek Massacre Site Oral History"
"Oral Histories Capture Forgotten Moments in Civil Rights History"
"Oral History: A Challenging and Provocative Experience"
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