The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide

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• Learn more about American history, language arts, oral histories, and writing.

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Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, a folklorist quoted on this website, says that “Tradition-bearers are living links in the historical chain, eye witnesses to history, shapers of a vital and indigenous way of life. They are unparalleled in the vividness and authenticity they can bring to the study of local history and culture.” Tradition Bearers are all around us. They are parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, community leaders and the experiences and stories that they have in them are “human truths.”

Students will find valuable information on this site to use in preparation to conduct an interview for an oral history project. The contents of the guide describe how to conduct an interview and give some possible questions to use. It also has sample forms which include an interview release form, an interview information form, an interview context form, a tape log, a photo log, and a cultural marker exercise.

Some creative ideas for presenting the results of an interview can be found here also. Students can introduce their “tradition bearer” through an exhibition of photographs, artifacts, old documents, and art work. Or, they might create a recipe book with family recipes along with descriptions of family traditions and experiences. Making scrapbooks is a popular craft and this would be a wonderful way to display information from an interview.

A glossary of terms, a selected bibliography, and a list of other oral history related resources on the internet are provided. The information on this site is also offered in a PDF version which may be downloaded.