Barbara W. Sommer – författare

Using examples from Indigenous community oral history projects throughout Canada and the United States, this new edition is informed by best practices to show how oral history can be done in different contexts.The Indigenous Oral History Manual: Canada and the United States, the expanded second edition of The American Indian Oral History Manual (2008), contains information about selected Indigenous oral histories, legal and ethical issues, project planning considerations, choosing recording equipment and budgeting, planning and carrying out interviews in various settings, stewardship of project materials, and ways Indigenous communities use oral histories. A centerpiece of the book is a collection of oral history project profiles from Canada and the United States that illustrate the range of possibilities that people interested in Indigenous oral history might pursue. It emphasizes the importance of community engagement and adhering to appropriate local protocols and ethical standards, inviting readers to understand that oral history work can take various forms with people whose cultural heritage has always relied on oral transmission of knowledge.The book is ideal for students, scholars, and Indigenous communities who seek to engage ethically with tribal and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in oral history work that meets community needs.

Using examples from Indigenous community oral history projects throughout Canada and the United States, this new edition is informed by best practices to show how oral history can be done in different contexts.The Indigenous Oral History Manual: Canada and the United States, the expanded second edition of The American Indian Oral History Manual (2008), contains information about selected Indigenous oral histories, legal and ethical issues, project planning considerations, choosing recording equipment and budgeting, planning and carrying out interviews in various settings, stewardship of project materials, and ways Indigenous communities use oral histories. A centerpiece of the book is a collection of oral history project profiles from Canada and the United States that illustrate the range of possibilities that people interested in Indigenous oral history might pursue. It emphasizes the importance of community engagement and adhering to appropriate local protocols and ethical standards, inviting readers to understand that oral history work can take various forms with people whose cultural heritage has always relied on oral transmission of knowledge.The book is ideal for students, scholars, and Indigenous communities who seek to engage ethically with tribal and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in oral history work that meets community needs.

This second edition of Community Oral History Toolkit outlines the basics of oral history, how to design and manage projects, as well as guidelines on interviewing, archiving, and giving back to the community.Updating the original five-volumes into a one-volume publication, the book covers guidelines on thinking through legal needs and ethical issues, the interview process with information on standards, tips on in-person and distance interviewing, interview preparation, question-asking techniques, documenting interview information, and, moving to the final steps, guides for preservation and ongoing access of oral histories. The authors illustrate this work with examples of worldwide community-based oral history projects and individual profiles, while describing the projects' process and outcomes. It also includes sample forms for recordkeeping and updated technology guidelines, as well as resources for community oral historians to stay ahead of changes in the field. The final chapter takes an in-depth look at six community-based projects, each unique in their place and purpose, but all based in the scaffolding of the oral history process.Community Oral History Toolkit will be of interest to oral history, anthropology, and sociology students, as well as practicing and professional historians.

This second edition of Community Oral History Toolkit outlines the basics of oral history, how to design and manage projects, as well as guidelines on interviewing, archiving, and giving back to the community.Updating the original five-volumes into a one-volume publication, the book covers guidelines on thinking through legal needs and ethical issues, the interview process with information on standards, tips on in-person and distance interviewing, interview preparation, question-asking techniques, documenting interview information, and, moving to the final steps, guides for preservation and ongoing access of oral histories. The authors illustrate this work with examples of worldwide community-based oral history projects and individual profiles, while describing the projects' process and outcomes. It also includes sample forms for recordkeeping and updated technology guidelines, as well as resources for community oral historians to stay ahead of changes in the field. The final chapter takes an in-depth look at six community-based projects, each unique in their place and purpose, but all based in the scaffolding of the oral history process.Community Oral History Toolkit will be of interest to oral history, anthropology, and sociology students, as well as practicing and professional historians.

The Oral History Manual, Fourth Edition, is a comprehensive and user-friendly book designed to take novice or experienced oral historians through the entire life cycle of creating an oral history project, from idea through planning, interviewing, caring for, and making oral history interviews accessible. It includes updated information on: evolving technology, including the use of—and challenges associated with—automated transcription apps; ethical and practical considerations related to oral history and social justice, including interviews with people experiencing trauma; and challenges associated with real-time interviews conducted in the wake of natural and human-caused disasters. It emphasizes that an oral historian’s work is not finished when the recorder is turned off, describing in detail the importance of fully processing and preserving oral histories and related materials. The book emphasizes the importance of oral history practitioners providing context for their work so researchers and others who encounter the materials in the future will understand fully the circumstances in which the oral histories were created. The Oral History Manual, Fourth Edition also provides readers background on the evolution of oral history practice and includes appendices with sample forms that oral historians will find useful as they develop their own projects.

The Oral History Manual, Fourth Edition, is a comprehensive and user-friendly book designed to take novice or experienced oral historians through the entire life cycle of creating an oral history project, from idea through planning, interviewing, caring for, and making oral history interviews accessible. It includes updated information on: evolving technology, including the use of—and challenges associated with—automated transcription apps; ethical and practical considerations related to oral history and social justice, including interviews with people experiencing trauma; and challenges associated with real-time interviews conducted in the wake of natural and human-caused disasters. It emphasizes that an oral historian’s work is not finished when the recorder is turned off, describing in detail the importance of fully processing and preserving oral histories and related materials. The book emphasizes the importance of oral history practitioners providing context for their work so researchers and others who encounter the materials in the future will understand fully the circumstances in which the oral histories were created. The Oral History Manual, Fourth Edition also provides readers background on the evolution of oral history practice and includes appendices with sample forms that oral historians will find useful as they develop their own projects.

The first book of the five-volume Community Oral History Toolkit sets the stage for an oral history project by placing community projects into a larger context of related fields and laying a sound theoretical foundation. It introduces the field of oral history to newcomers, with discussions of the historical process, the evolution of oral history as a research methodology, the nature of community, and the nature of memory. It also elaborates on best practices for community history projects and presents a detailed overview of the remaining volumes of the Toolkit, which cover Planning, Management, Interviewing, and After-the-Interview processing and curation. Introduction to Community Oral History features a comprehensive glossary, index, bibliography, and references, as well as numerous sample forms that are needed throughout the process of conducting community oral history projects.

The second book in the five-volume Community Oral History Toolkit walks you through all the planning steps to travel from an idea to a completed collection of oral history interviews. Informed by an extensive survey of oral historians from across the country, this guide will get you started on firm ground so you don’t get mired in unforeseen problems in the middle of your project. Designed especially for project administrators, it identifies participants and responsibilities that need to be covered, and details planning needs for everything from budgeting to technology, and from legal issues to ethics. Planning a Community Oral History Project sets the stage for the implementation steps outlined in Volume 3, Managing a Community Oral History Project.

The third book in the five-volume Community Oral History Toolkit takes the planning steps outlined in Volume 2 and puts them into action. It provides the practical details for turning your plans into reality and establishes the basis for guiding your project through the interviews to a successful conclusion. Project managers are given concrete, useful advise on how to manage people, money, technology, publicity, and administrative tasks from the beginning to the end of the project. Volume 3 outlines details for developing the necessary forms to properly administer a community oral history project (sample forms provided). The authors advise how to recruit volunteers and interviewees and provide helpful tips for conducting thorough interview and transcription training sessions and how to make arrangements for the life and safety of the project one the interviews are complete.

The interview is the anchor of an oral history project. The fourth book in the five-volume Community Oral History Toolkit guides the interviewer through all the steps from interview preparation through follow-up. It includes guidance on selecting interviewees, training interviewers, using recording equipment, and ethical issues concerning the interviewer-interviewee relationship. Packed with instructive case studies, Volume 4 offers concrete practical examples and advice for issues such as pre-interview research, developing interview questions and points for guiding discussion, ideal interview settings and conditions, strategies for stimulating interviewees’ memories, acceptable communication techniques and behavior throughout the interview process, and rounding out interview documentation with supplementary materials and contextual information.

Community projects often falter after the interviews are completed. This final book of the five-volume Community Oral History Toolkit explains the importance of processing and archiving oral histories and takes the reader through all the steps required for good archiving and for concluding the oral history project so that it is preserved and accessible for future generations. The authors give special attention to record-keeping systems and repositories, and provide several examples from actual projects to ground the information in practical terms. Charts, checklists, and sample forms also help the reader apply concepts to practice. Volume 5 finishes with examples of creative ways community projects have used oral histories, such as performances, exhibitions, celebrations, websites, and more, in order to promote history and engage the community.

It has been half a century since the last book that addressed how historical societies can utilize oral history. In this brief, practical guide, internationally known oral historian Barbara W. Sommer applies the best practices of contemporary oral historians to the projects that historical organizations of all sizes and sorts might develop. The book -covers project personnel options, funding options, legal and ethical issues, interviewing techniques, and cataloging guidelines;-identifies helpful steps for historical societies when developing and doing oral history projects;-includes a dozen model case studies;-provides additional resources, templates, forms, and bibliography for the reader.

It has been half a century since the last book that addressed how historical societies can utilize oral history. In this brief, practical guide, internationally known oral historian Barbara W. Sommer applies the best practices of contemporary oral historians to the projects that historical organizations of all sizes and sorts might develop. The book -covers project personnel options, funding options, legal and ethical issues, interviewing techniques, and cataloging guidelines;-identifies helpful steps for historical societies when developing and doing oral history projects;-includes a dozen model case studies;-provides additional resources, templates, forms, and bibliography for the reader.