The Oral history Interview
This interview will be recorded within the timeframe previously agreed upon by the interviewee and the interviewer. The interview will be approximately 90 to 120 minutes. If the interviewer determines that additional time is needed to complete the interview, arrangements can be made to extend the session at your convenience. Interviewees will be sent an oral history consent form to be reviewed before the interview. Once the interview is complete, you will be asked to sign and submit the signed consent form to the interviewer. The below information is subject to change.
Purpose and Use of the Interview
- The interview will be recorded (audio and/or video) and transcribed.
- The recordings, transcripts, and any related materials donated to accompany your oral history, may be used for the following purposes:
- Research conducted by historians, scholars, journalists, and other researchers.
- Educational initiatives, including classroom instruction, publications, and presentations.
- Public awareness efforts, such as exhibitions, online content, podcasts, and documentary projects.
- Oral histories will be made available through the FECOHP website and/or the project’s designated archival repository, unless there are any restrictions in place (see below for more information).
Confidentiality and Rights
- You have the right to decline answering any questions, to stop the interview at any time, and/or ask the interviewer to pause the recording to ask questions or give comments off the record.
- Anonymity cannot be guaranteed. If you wish to keep your identity confidential, we recommend placing an embargo (seal) on your oral history until a date you consider appropriate for release. While the FECOHP, OAH, and the archive will take all reasonable legal measures to uphold any restrictions you request, please note that they may not be able to maintain these restrictions in the event of a subpoena.
- You may also request specific portions of your interview be restricted or kept confidential until a date you feel is appropriate for release.
- The interviewers will ensure interviewees understand the risks of making their stories public online or through the project’s affiliated archive. Interviewers will also answer any questions about the consent form and deeds of gift.
- You can change the terms of use at any time after the official deed of gift is signed. Interviewees must submit a revised release form to fecohp@oah.org However, once a transcript has been posted online, it may not be possible to remove it completely from the Internet even if it is removed from the project’s specific website.
The Deed of Gift
All participants will be asked to review and sign both a deed of gift after reviewing the interview transcript.
- The unrestricted-access deed of gift grants full public access to your oral history.
- The restricted-access deed of gift allows you to specify whether all or portions of your oral history should be sealed for a period of time that you determine.
Please note: We will honor requests to remove your name from the transcript and/or recording that will be accessible through the FECOHP website. However, information contained within the transcript and/or recording may still reveal your identity.
Your Obligations
You will receive a set of fundamental topics that will structure the interview. Please be advised that there will be follow-up and specific questions posed by interviewers during the interview process. The preliminary topics are intended to provide you with a framework for the interview and to assist in your preparation. During the interview, kindly offer responses that are both candid and accurate. When discussing relationships or interactions with colleagues and/or the public, it is important to maintain professionalism and refrain from disparaging the character of others.
All interviewees will be provided with a copy of their transcript for review and edits. Once completed, you will have 90 days to return the transcript with your signed deed of gift and the online release form, if you wish to have the oral history available through the FECOHP website. If the transcript is not returned within this time frame, the FECOHP may complete the processing and make it available in accordance with its normal practices. Interviewers and FECOHP also reserve the right not to preserve any defamatory content in the final copy of the oral history transcript.