Key Resources - Oral History - guide to resources - Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University

Key Resources

New books

Journals

Oral History
This is the Journal of the Oral History Society. Back issues of the journal can be linked to via SOLO.
Oral History Review
This journal can be accessed through SOLO.
Words and Silences
This is the official journal of the International Oral History Association. Register for an account through the website to access the articles.

Newly bookmarked websites

This box links to the Bodleian History Faculty Library's Diigo account, which bookmarks websites relevant to the study of History.

Key Websites

Oral History Society
The Oral History Society (OHS) has played a lead role in the development of oral history, celebrating it's 40th birthday in 2013. Their website provides links to resources, advice on interviewing and handling media, information on training courses, news about forthcoming conferences, and links to job vacancies. It also provides links to regional Oral History Society networks in Great Britain.
International Oral History Association
The International Oral History Association (IOHA) was established in 1996 to provide a forum for oral historians around the world, and also to promote the research, collection, preservation and value of oral history worldwide. The website provides news of forthcoming conferences, advice, and links to resources. It also provides links to key national oral history organisations.
Oral History Network Ireland
The Oral History Network Ireland (OHNI) was established in 2010 in order to bring individuals, local history groups and academics from all over Ireland together. The website provides news and advice on oral history, along with links to forthcoming events and ongoing projects.
British Library Sounds
British Library Sounds provides online access to a selection of the British Library's extensive collections of sound recordings, including oral history resources on a wide range of subjects. The recordings are arranged by subject area and are keyword searchable.
ESDS Qualidata
The Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) Qualidata provides online access to the data collections of a number of oral history projects, including interview transcripts. Researchers need to register and state their intended purpose for any data accessed. The collections are keyword searchable. Their introduction to Oral History resources provides links to key oral history project data deposited with ESDS and also to other key national resources for oral history.

ESDS Qualidata has recently been taken over by the UK Data Service but much of the website content remains accessible.
UK Data Service
The UK Data Service provides online access to a wide range of qualitative data sets, including oral history resources. The collections are searchable by keyword. Researchers must register with the UK Data Service and state their intended purpose for any data accessed.
YouTube
YouTube provides access to a large quantity of resources, both oral history interviews and information videos on the conduct and practice of oral history. Some organisations, archives and oral history projects have their own YouTube channels.
In the First Person
In the First Person is an in-depth index of thousands of collections of English language personal narratives from around the world. Along with diary entries and letters, the index contains approximately 17,000 entries for oral history. The index is searchable by keyword.
East Midlands Oral History Archive
The East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA) has collected, preserved and catalogued existing oral history collections relating to all areas of the country. The collected collections are browsable by topic and searchable by keyword, period and country.

Finding Archival Collections

There are a number of key holdings of oral history resources in Great Britain. Their collection catalogues are sometimes available to search online.

Oral history resources are also held by a multitude of organisations, archives, and educational institutions throughout the country. Many of these collections can be found by searching for 'oral history' or 'interviews' through Archives Hub, AIM25, and A2A.

Practical Advice: Interviewing, Recording and Editing

A number of UK organisations provide advice on the conduct and use of oral history:

Oral History Society

Institute of Historical Research (IHR)

The making of oral history: Sections 1–2 / Graham, Smith
Oral history / Graham Smith (Higher Education Academy in conjunction with Institute of Historical Research, 2010)

East Midlands Oral History Society

JISC Digital Media

The Oral Historian’s Digital Toolbox

Oral History in the Digital Age: Getting Started

ESDS (Economic and Social Data Service) Qualidata

Judith Moyer, Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History (1993, Revised 1999)

Paul Thompson, Re-using Qualitative Research Data: a Personal Account