Oral History Interviews

Nothing compares to listening as a family member or favorite friend recalls precious stories from days gone by, such as childhood pranks or playmates, schoolteachers and classmates, sibling rivalries or revelries, relationships with parents and grandparents.

If you do nothing else, capture those precious memories on audiocassette tapes through oral history interviews. Gentle yet pointed questions draw forth recollections and long-forgotten memories that can be captured and cherished for generations to come.

Julie is a very thoughtful caring
person and she demonstrates
this during her interviews. She
goes that extra mile to make an
interesting story even more
eventful by taking pictures of
places of important events. You
won’t be disappointed if you
have Julie do your memory book.
June Squires, Chehalis, WA

The memories of a lifetime can be recounted in 10 hours of oral history interviews, conducted comfortably in the narrator’s own home by a friendly interviewer experienced in jogging memories and drawing out stories as though in a casual conversation. We focus on ensuring the storyteller feels relaxed and comfortable throughout the interviewing sessions and after we leave.

The final product is a beautiful keepsake case with well-labeled tapes safely preserving those precious memories. If desired, the tapes can later be used to create a personal memoir book.

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What to Expect

Before beginning the oral history interviews, we like to know about any special stories you’d like recorded. We’ll also send you a biographical information sheet so you can jot down basic facts about the narrator’s life. This way, the interviewer will arrive at the first meeting well prepared to ask knowledgeable questions of the narrator.

Julie is a wonderful writer and
has a special way of making it a
joy to tell your own experiences.
And it sounds so nice after it is
put in form or print and made up.
She is super special and I would
highly recommend her to write up
your story of your life. Alfred J.
Wright, Washougal, WA

The interviewer travels to the narrator’s home and, after getting acquainted, the interviewer and narrator settle in a quiet but comfortable place in the home. A lapel microphone will be clipped to the narrator’s clothing so the stories will be recorded clearly by high-end but unobtrusive equipment. As the narrator answers specific questions, recollections from earlier days begin to flow.

If the narrator wishes, we can review scrapbooks or photo albums to jog memories or recall special people or events.

During the questioning, narrators always end up relaxing as they realize how genuinely interested we are in hearing the wonderful stories they have to share. We feel very honored and humbled when we are trusted to record those precious memories.

Our links to Oral History websites and our FAQs about creating a history may be helpful to you as you explore this exciting idea.

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Options

All of the interviews can be conducted over one or two days, or the interviews can be done over a period of several weeks, depending on the narrator’s desire and the logistics (whether the interviewing requires extended travel).

Often, the narrator tires after one-and-a-half or two hours, so that’s generally how long each interview will last. We pay special attention to the narrator’s comfort, whether he or she feel hoarse or tired, talkative or quiet. We accommodate the narrator’s needs and desires.

Some people may want more extensive interviewing done. Others may want only five or six hours.

Transcription

If requested, we can transcribe the tapes and make a lightly edited transcript available. The light editing simply eliminates the false starts and utterances such as “um,” “er,” or “uh.” Transcribing usually takes between three and five hours for each recorded hour of tape.

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Getting Started

To get started, think about some of the special stories you’d like to have captured on tape, then contact us to schedule the first interview. We’ll talk about some of those special stories and send you a basic background sheet to be returned to us. It will give us a better idea of basic facts in the narrator’s life so that adequate research can be conducted before the interviews take place.

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Samples

Read a transcription of a question and answer from an interview.

See more samples of our memoirs and memory books, learn more about Julie Zander, or contact us to find out how you can have your oral history recorded and transcribed.

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