The Oral History Manual

Oral History Review

A clear and concise discussion of the process of oral history. It has become the standard manual for most community and academic oral history projects….clearly explains the fundamentals of oral history techniques, such as how the interaction of interviewer and narrator influences most aspects of the interview, from how a question is phrased to how the response is understood.

Susan Becker

The Oral History Manual is a treasure-trove, both for people who want to know how to organize and run an oral history program from scratch, and for those who want to improve the professionalism of an ongoing program. Whether you feel overwhelmed by how to get started, want a better understanding of everything from equipment choices to techniques for conducting better interviews, require better organization so that your interviews don't fall into a black hole of processing limbo, or wonder about the philosophical underpinnings of oral history practice, this is your book. Even though I've worked in the field for many years, I found a wealth of examples of procedures and forms in this new edition that will help me improve my own oral history program.

John Wolford

The Oral History Manual has been a classroom standard since it was first published in 2002, praised by teachers for its logical organization of materials and completeness of topics, and by students for its easily understood descriptions, explanations, and instructions. This second edition retains the first edition's ease of use while adding important new information relevant to contemporary students: expanded sections on cross-cultural interviewing, processing interviews, budgeting, and legal and ethical considerations, along with an updated technology section. Beyond being useful for students, this is a great guide for researchers wanting to figure out how to conduct and process interviewing projects, whether they work professionally for a local history society or independently on a family oral history project.

National Genealogical Society Quarterly

Oral History Manual certainly merits reading by family historians who are interested in the mechanics of oral interviews. Its authors are extremely knowledgeable oral history technicians . . . it is worth adding to any oral historian's library.
— Sheila Benedict, CGRS

Oregon Historical Quarterly

...a how-to guide for mastering the techniques of oral history and methods for collecting and processing the audio results....Quinlan and Sommer provide good, practical advice regarding the interview setting, interview techniques, and processing and care of oral histories. They deal with copyright issues, Internet distribution, interview equipment, project budgets and research preparation. Notes at the end of each chapter provide excellent resources for each of the topics. They also provide appendices with forms for keeping a project organized and obtaining important information as well as a glossary of terms, a tremendously useful annotated bibliography, and an index.
— Donna Sinclair, Oregon Historical Quarterly and Portland State University

Northwest Oral History Association

Covers in good detail all the basic steps of setting up an oral history project. . . . Chapters discuss legal and ethical issues; technology; pre-interview activities such as background research; the interview itself; processing; and preservation of the final product. There is also an extensive list of ideas of how to incorporate the interviewinto public programming. . . . The volume also includes sample forms, a glossary, bibliography, and reprints the principles and standards of the Oral History Association. The Oral History Manual presents one of the most cogent descriptions of oral history and how it differs from other methods of information gathering, whether the journalist interview or field-interviewing as conducted by folklorists.
— Linda Morton-Keithley, Idaho State Historical Society

The Annals Of Iowa, Vol. 62, No. 2, Spring 2003

In The Oral History Manual Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan answer nearly any question the budding, or experienced, oral historian could possibly conjure . . . comprehensive but concise . . . Many manuals of style and technique exist, but this is perhaps the most straightforward, easy-to-use, and readily available one on the market . . . given the increasing awareness in primary and secondary schools of the importance of oral history in their curricula, as well as the swelling number of historical societies, private institutions, and individuals interested in the craft of oral preservation, this book should find a place on many a bookshelf.

National Genealogical Society Quarterly

Oral History Manual certainly merits reading by family historians who are interested in the mechanics of oral interviews. Its authors are extremely knowledgeable oral history technicians . . . it is worth adding to any oral historian's library.

Northwest Oral History Association

Covers in good detail all the basic steps of setting up an oral history project. . . . Chapters discuss legal and ethical issues; technology; pre-interview activities such as background research; the interview itself; processing; and preservation of the final product. There is also an extensive list of ideas of how to incorporate the interviewinto public programming. . . . The volume also includes sample forms, a glossary, bibliography, and reprints the principles and standards of the Oral History Association. The Oral History Manual presents one of the most cogent descriptions of oral history and how it differs from other methods of information gathering, whether the journalist interview or field-interviewing as conducted by folklorists.

North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. Lxxx, No. 3, July '03

Authors Barbara Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan produced a practical guide for those involved in this field. Both have multiple years of experience as oral historians, and the clear, engaging style of this volume fully illustrates their expertise . . . invaluable to anyone involved with oral histories . . . [a] necessary guide for public historians and others involved in research.

Utah Historical Quarterly

[A] highly useful manual on oral history . . . an excellent introduction.

Oregon Historical Quarterly

...a how-to guide for mastering the techniques of oral history and methods for collecting and processing the audio results....Quinlan and Sommer provide good, practical advice regarding the interview setting, interview techniques, and processing and care of oral histories. They deal with copyright issues, Internet distribution, interview equipment, project budgets and research preparation. Notes at the end of each chapter provide excellent resources for each of the topics. They also provide appendices with forms for keeping a project organized and obtaining important information as well as a glossary of terms, a tremendously useful annotated bibliography, and an index.

Oral History Review

Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan have written a concise yet sophisticated guide for community groups embarking on oral history projects. It is also an excellent resource for seasoned professionals who routinely conduct oral history workshops for historical societies and museums.