Oral History Training Workshop

This workshop is designed to introduce potential oral history practitioners to the fundamentals of conducting a life-course oral history. Participants will learn how to identify interviewees, conduct pre-interview research, and prepare for meaningful and professional oral histories. The session will cover best practices for conducting oral history interviews and ensuring the ethical and responsible documentation of personal narratives.

Throughout the workshop, participants will explore key interviewing techniques, including how to create a comfortable environment, ask open-ended questions, and engage narrators in sharing rich and detailed accounts of their experiences. Practical aspects of recording best practices will also be addressed, with guidance on selecting equipment, recording remotely or in person, and organizing recorded materials for preservation and access.

Legal and ethical considerations will be discussed in depth, including issues of privacy, copyright, and the responsibilities of oral historians in handling sensitive content. Participants will receive samples of necessary forms and documents to facilitate their own oral history projects. By the end of the session, attendees will have the foundational knowledge and confidence to conduct oral history interviews within their local communities independently.

Complimentary snacks and beverages provided.

The Brick Store Museum’s Oral History Program is looking for volunteer interviewers! If you would like to join the team, please consider taking this course.

The Workshop will be taught by Molly Graham, a professional oral historian and radio documentarian. She trained at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. She has her master’s degree in Library Science and Archives Management from Simmons College in Boston. Molly is the former director of the oral history program at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Assistant Director of the Rutgers Oral History Archives. In 2013, she co-founded Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc., with the mission of preserving the stories, voices, and cultural traditions of Maine and beyond. Currently, she is the oral historian for NOAA’s Voices Oral History Archives, where she collects, preserves and curates oral histories documenting historical environmental change and its impacts on fisheries, oceans and coasts.