Oral History Resources
Suggested Veteran Contact Places
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Local VA Hospital
Local VFW Post
Local Senior Citizens Home
Selected Oral History Bibliography
Willa K. Baum, Oral History for the Local Historical Society. Third Edition.
Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1987.
Joseph A. Cash, The Practice of Oral History. New York: Microfilming
Corporation, 1975.
Laurie Mercier and Madeline Buckendorf, “Using Oral History in Community
History Projects,” Pamphlet #4. New York: Oral History Association, 1992.
Donald Richie, Doing Oral History. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995.
Suggested Student Guidelines to Follow When Conducting an Oral
Interview
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Conduct background research prior to interview. The more prepared you
are the better your interview will be.
Reserve a digital, tape, or video camera and any other equipment prior to
scheduling the interview.
Develop a list of questions. Try to avoid yes/no questions.
Record an opening announcement on your tape stating the date, who is
being interviewed, and where you are located.
Begin your interview by asking basic contextual questions (when and
where she/he was born, family background, occupation, etc)
Listen carefully; do not be afraid of a little silence.
Ask one question at a time.
Take notes that will remind you to ask follow-up questions instead of
interrupting the respondent’s train of thought.
Develop facts and events first, and then explore feelings and values.
Write up field notes immediately after your interview.
Label your tape with respondent’s name and date.
Send the respondent a written thank-you note.
Possible Interview Questions
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What is your full name?
When/where were you born?
What were you doing before the war?
Were you married or single?
Where were you when you found out about Pearl Harbor?
Did you enlist or were you drafted?
When and where did you enter service? What branch?
Where was your basic training? Describe what it was like.
What did your family think about you being in the service?
How long were you in the service?
What was your job in the military?
How did you feel knowing you were preparing to go off to war?
When did you deploy overseas?
What theater of operations were you in?
What was it like where you were stationed?
What did you think you were fighting for and how did you feel about the
enemy?
What did letters from home mean to you?
What do you remember about the home front during the war?
Where were you when you heard the war was over?
How did WWII change you and your life?
Did it change your values, or influence your career?
What did you do after the war?
Did WWII change the world? How?
What were the positives and negatives for the US as a result of WWII?
What one thing would you want people to remember about what this
experience has meant to you and the world?