TELLING THE STORIES OF
REMARKABLE SMITH WOMEN
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
YOUR PRESENTERS
THE CONCEPT
Betsey Whitbeck ’71
PHASE 1: PLANNING
Laurie Kramer ’69
PHASE 2: THE INTERVIEWS
Barbara Klaas ’74
PHASE 3: PRODUCTION
Marty Swain ’71
THE LAUNCH!
Laurie Kramer
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF
MINNESOTA
FIRST: THE CONCEPT
Betsey Whitbeck
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
“I respect the fact that on this campus we like stout ideas and convictions of every
conceivable sort, old and new, traditional and modern, and are not afraid of them;
that the one thing we are afraid of is apathy and indifference toward learning and
toward life.”
“And if in June of every year 400 girls leave Northampton with an awakened sense of
personal responsibility and an honest desire to make the towns and cities in which
they will live and work more decent, intelligent, unprejudiced and far-sighted, more
rich in things of the mind, it seems to me, in the light of American democratic ideas,
that Smith College has fulfilled its promises and done its work well.”
Mary Ellen Chase (1887-1973)
Smith College Professor of English 1926-55
From Smith College: A Definition
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF
MINNESOTA
THE CONCEPT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Where the Idea Stemmed From
Choice of Interviewees
Our Theme: Strong Women Building
Strong Communities
Our Expectations
Programmatic Development
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
1. Where the Idea Stemmed From:
Observations
• A substantial number of important
Minnesota settlers sent their
daughters to Smith
• Let’s collect these settlers’ stories
while their granddaughters & greatgranddaughters were still alive
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Theory
• Because Minnesota’s state culture was largely
developed by these early Smith grads, the leadership
values of Smith College influenced the outcome of
Minnesota state culture
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Personal Goals
• My interest in writing in general
• My study of Minnesota state history for the
Sesquicentennial
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Other Goals
Ultimate Goal
• Celebrate our influential women and their lives
Club’s Organizational Goals
• Activate younger alums!
• Recognize older alums and keep them active!
The By-product
• Provide a base of information that might be
useful to the College, the State, and the Club
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
2. Choice of Interviewees
• Age
• Connection to historical figures in development
of Minnesota
• Personal contributions to Minnesota culture
through leadership and activities
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
3. Our Theme: STRONG WOMEN BUILDING STRONG
COMMUNITIES
Chosen because it encompassed ALL our goals
• It celebrated leadership in the largest sense
• It focused on families and their Smith daughters
• It exemplified Smith as more than the “average excellent
college”
• It showed Smith as a leadership-training organization &
a catalyst to change
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
4. Our Expectations
• We hoped the answers to several questions would help
demonstrate this leadership theory
o Which professors and which courses were these important women most influenced by
and why?
o How did young women of their day identify Smith as the educational institution they
wanted to attend?
o What was life like when they were at Smith? How do their memories help us understand
how Smith has since changed?
o How did the ideas and teachings at Smith engender a change in young women’s views on
life and the world?
o And just for fun – we wanted to find some fun anecdotes about Smith life!
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
5. Programmatic Development
• Created and finalized questionnaire
• Created standard operating procedure for
interviews
• Created directions for writing up interviews
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
PHASE 1: PLANNING
Laurie Kramer
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
PLANNING
1.
Generate Club Interest
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Convene Steering Committee
Decide Scope of Project
Consult Oral History Experts
Choose Recording Equipment
Recruit Interviewees
Recruit Volunteers
Train Interviewers
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF
MINNESOTA
1. Generate Club Interest
• Brainstorming meetings
• Use Club publicity vehicles
• Involve Smith faculty
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
2. Convene Steering Committee
•
•
•
•
Need 4 or 5 people
Oversee main activity areas
o
Interviewees
o
Interviewers
o
Equipment
o
Photos
o
Transcription
o
Writing and editing
o
Design
Keep project moving
Plan launch
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
3. Decide Scope of Project
•
How many alums to interview
•
Form of final product
•
Target date for final product
•
All volunteer versus paid position(s)
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
4. Consult Oral History Experts
• Local Smith alums
• Local or state historical society
• Smith College experts
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
5. Choose Recording Equipment
• High quality
• Easy to use
• Decide between audio and video
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
6. Recruit Interviewees
• Develop criteria
• Contact to ascertain interest
• Confirm in writing
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
7. Recruit Volunteers
• Interviewers
• Tape transcriber
• Writers
• Managing editor
• Editors
• Photo editor
• Designer
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
8. Train Interviewers
• One or two in-person sessions
• Record for future use
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
PHASE 2: THE INTERVIEW
Barbara Klaas
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
THE INTERVIEW
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Training
Equipment
Pre-Interview
Interview Goals
The Interview Itself
Post-Interview
Preparing Finished History
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
1. Training
• Creates understanding of project’s goals
• Provides consistency
• Helps interviewers understand what oral
history is
• Emphasizes the legal and ethical aspects of
oral histories
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
2. Equipment
• Audio/Digital recorder with good microphone
• Tripod if videotaping: careful of background
and frame interviewee
• Extension cord
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
3. Pre-Interview
• Set up interview time and place
• Send interviewee questions ahead of time
• Ask for interviewee to find photos and make copies to
give you at interview
• Arrange for recording equipment and space
• Test equipment to make sure working properly
• Review questions
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
4. Interview Goals
• Make it a conversation
• Realize this is the interviewee’s story
• Use the questions as a roadmap, but don’t be afraid to
take detours
• Best quality of an interviewer is to listen
• Use follow-up questions
• Don’t interject yourself in the interview with comments
or body language
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
5. Interview Guidelines
• Use same questions for each interview, realizing
that the time spent on questions will vary by
interviewee
• Take a break
• Most interviews should not last more than 2 hours
• DO follow up on interesting information with
more questions
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Interview Questions
Family background
1. From a family history perspective, why did yours come to Minnesota and what did they do here?
2. As you look back on growing up in your family, which are the most significant values you learned – and how did you learn them?
Smith decision
3. What do you think made Smith College such a popular place for so many Minnesota families to send their daughters?
4. Do you recall what prompted you to decide to attend Smith College?
Smith experiences
5. Did you have advisers or mentors who shaped part of your experience at Smith (faculty, house mother, another student)? Did you
come away with any lifelong friends who played an important role in your later life experience?
6. What was your major or minor, and did this specific area of your education have a significant impact on what you did later in life?
7. What do you suppose are the most significant values, memories or lessons – positive or negative – you carry with you from Smith?
Community activities
8. What sorts of organizations/movements have you been involved in on a leadership level or as an active volunteer ?
9. What prompted you to be active in these organizations?
10. What would you say are the major accomplishments of these organizations?
Continued on next slide . . .
…Interview Questions, continued
Your own accomplishments
11. In what ways might you have played a role, large or small, in the development of MN’s communities and their cultures and organizations?
12. What accomplishments/successes/contributions that you’ve made outside the realm of your immediate family make you most pr oud?
13. How does this role reflect family and Smith influences and values?
Your life’s evolution
14. What is the most exciting moment of your life? Are there others?
15. Was there some sort of turning point in your life that you could share with us? What role did that turning point play in chan ging your life’s
course?
16. What do you see as the most significant moment/issue in history that affected you and/or your family?
The future
17. What steps do you think we as Minnesotans need to take to “secure” our future?
18. As you look back at values learned from your family and from Smith, how do you hope your own family and/or the community will continue
to reflect those values?
19. If you had one piece of advice to give young Smith grads, what would it be? Similarly, what single warning about somethin g to avoid would
you give to recent grads?
Post-Smith involvement
20. Since your years at Smith, have you continued your direct involvement with the College? If so, how have you been involve d – for instance,
through service on the Board of Trustees, the Board of the Alumnae Association, or a special committee?
21. What has been your involvement with the Minnesota Smith Club?
Wrap-up
22. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
6. Post-Interview
• Get formal Usage Agreement Form signed
• Obtain photos
• Make sure all tapes are labeled
• Transcribe the tape
• Write up the interview
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
ORAL HISTORY AGREEMENT FORM
My signature below confirms my agreement with the Smith College Club of Minnesota (the Club)
to participate in an audio-recorded interview with one or more Smith alumnae who will be asking
me questions of interest to Club members.
I convey to the Club the content of this interview and permission for its use as part of the Oral
History Project. I also give the Club permission to use any photos I provide.
I agree that the Club may release a copy of the interview tape and transcript to the Smith College
Archives.
I convey copyright to this interview to the Smith College Archives and the Smith College Club of
Minnesota.
Interviewee
_______________________________________
Date_____________
Signature
__________________________________________________________
Print name
___________________________________________________________
Street Address
Interviewer
City/State
_______________________________________
Zip
Date _____________
Signature
Accepted by
_______________________________________
Signature
_______________________________________
Date _____________
Title
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
7. Preparing the Write-up
• Remember: The tape becomes a copyrightable document
• Find themes that run through the person’s life
• Start with an attention-getting statement, quote, or story
• Set the scene: Describe the venue
• Look for fun quotes and note dramatic events
• Make descriptive observations
• Ask yourself what is significant about things said
• Provide meaningful interpretation from facts
• BE ACCURATE!
• Check the tape, with the other interviewer, or with the
interviewee about any questions
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
PHASE 3: PRODUCTION
Marty Swain
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
PRODUCTION NEEDS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Style Sheet
Production Process
Editing
Review
Approval
Design (depending on final product)
Printing/Binding (ditto)
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
1. Style Sheet
• It provides standardization, for example…
o Final comma in series
o Capitalization
o Rules for numerals
o References to other alums, schools, interviewees
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Style Sheet
Fonts & Spacing
• Title: Heading 1 style, 16 pt bf Arial
• Interviewee’s name: Heading 2 style, 14 pt bf Times Roman
• Interviewer's byline: Heading 3 style, 12 pt bf ital Arial
• All headers flush left
• Body text: Normal style, 12 pt Times Roman
• Double spaced text, first line of paragraph indented
• 1 space between words
• 1 space between sentences
Abbreviations, Capitalization & Spelling
• After giving interviewee's, classmates' and family members' whole name at first mention, use first name
• After giving professors', business associates' and everyone else's whole name at first mention, use LAST name
• Titles (eg, executive director): don’t cap unless precede name
• OK to use cap on nickname for proper name or organization after first mention
• Capitalize "Smithie"
• v. in judicial rulings
• Use numerals in text only if greater than 9, used with time (6 days), or in a range (2 of 5 children)
Punctuation
• em dashes: no space before or after, like this—key it with Shift/Option/Hyphen
• en dashes: use for ranges (times or dates such as 1–5) with no space before or after; key it with Option/Hyphen
• also use en dash in the phrase "Minneapolis–St. Paul area"
• Hyphenate phrases such as "eleven-year-old child"
• Ellipses … use spaces before and after
• Make apostrophes and quotation marks curly/smart
• No apostrophes in plural dates (1990s)
• Use serial comma in series
Tone
•
•
•
& Style
Interviewers should not be mentioned within text (such as first person references "she told me")
Try to minimize repetition of "she said"
OK to take some liberties and limit ellipses in direct quotes from transcripts for smoother reading ellipses in direct quotes from transcripts
for smoother reading
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
2. Production Process
• Develop a process that every interview write-up
goes through
• Develop (and update!) a production log
• Edit write-up
• Submit to other reviewer(s) (how many proofs?)
• Send to layout
• Critique and proof layouts
• Check revised proofs
• Send to printer (with designer’s help)
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
Rec'
d
Interviewers
To Editor
From
Editor
To BW
From
BW
To LK
From
LK
To
Subj
Congdon Mason

wh/kl
3/21/12 ms
—
3/26/12
3/26/12
3/25/12
3/25/12
Cowie

leh/lep
9/14/11 nik
10/10/11
1/16/12
—
1/16/12
1/16/12
Donnelly
Grose
Hartfiel



leh/pf
kl/bh
sh/fr
1/12/12 nik
2/5/12 ms
10/20/11 nik
2/14/11
—
11/13/11
2/20/12
2/19/12
1/17/12
—
2/20/12
2/19/12
1/17/12
2/25/12
2/20/12
1/22/12
Hensel
Ide


leh/pf
hag/kl
1/15/12 nik
6/17/11 nik
2/22/12
7/8/11
3/7/12
9/xx
3/7/12
9/23/11
3/7/12
1/12/12
3/7/12
1/12/12
Leppik

bl/brn
9/24/11 ms
—
2/2/12
2/17/12
2/02/12
2/8/12
Malmon
Ross


lep/gld
dwd/cro
3/3/12 ms
9/x/11 ms
—
3/5/12
2/13/12
—
2/17/12
3/5/12
2/13/12
3/5/12
2/15/12
Rothchild

bh/mik
2/22/12 nik
3/3/12
3/12/12
3/12/12
3/12/12
Slade

lid/mik
11/17/12 nik
12/17/12
1/16/12
—
1/16/12
1/16/12
Spencer

kl/wr
10/20/11 nik
11/2/11
1/17/12
—
1/17/12
1/22/12
Taylor

kl/sw
—
—
—
3/21/12
3/21/12
Toth
Tuttle


bl/brk
dwd/kr
3/20/12
bk/lk
2/05/12 ms
9/14/11 nik
—
10/10/11
3/1/12
2/14/12
3/03/12
2/17/12
3/2/12
2/14/12
3/03/12
2/15/12
3/26/1
2
1/28/1
2
3/1/12
3/1/12
1/28/1
2
3/8/12
1/28/1
2
2/18/1
2
3/7/12
2/18/1
2
3/13/1
2
1/28/1
2
1/28/1
2
3/24/1
2
3/5/12
2/18/1
2
Intro materials
From Subj
(lk )
To Layout
Comments
Sent overnight mail
2/9/12 
3/12/12
No further Qs—ck classmate pic caption
3/9/12 
3/13/12 
2/9/12 
3/13/12
3/14/12
3/12/12
Final Qs answered 3/19 phone
In CA till Mar 9; captions OK
Qs sent 3/27
3/13/12 
2/9/12 
3/14/12
3/12/12
Captions OK
Caption Qs
3/1/12 
3/13/12
Qs sent 3/27
3/16/12 
3/7/12 
3/19/12
3/16/12 
Sent to AZ; 1 caption Q sent 3/26
Caption Qs sent 3/27
3/17/12 
3/19/12
No usable transcript; sent photo Q 3/26
2/11/12 
3/13/12
Sent e-mail last Qs 3/26
2/09/12 
3/12/12
Captions OK
Caption Qs
3/14/12 
3/19/12 
—
3/16/12 
3/20/12
Sent to CA; Caption Qs sent 3/27
Talked 3/10/12; captions OK
3. Editing
• Reorganize as necessary
• Fact check
• Rewrite/edit as necessary for grammar, syntax, style
• Evaluate length
• Add detail from transcript if necessary
• Standardize format for reviewers, interviewees, and
designer
• Write pull quotes & photo captions
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
4. Review
• Make a clean copy incorporating all the
edits you’ve decided on
• Have a second (even a third) person read
the manuscript
• Negotiate and make changes
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
5. Approval
• Prepare a clean copy of manuscript for interviewee
• Insert hand-written or electronic Qs and comments
• Include a place for interviewee to sign off
• Get phone number & e-mail of interviewee for follow-up
questions
• Ask any remaining questions
• Include photo captions for approval
• Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and state a
deadline
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
SAMPLE
OF
APPROVED MANUSCRIPT
6. Design
• Send manuscripts & photos to designer one-by-one or in
group(s)
• Check preliminary layouts when they’re back
• Proofread
• Add and lose lines as necessary, fix loose lines/widows (with the
designer)
• Write or delete pull quotes as necessary
• Have a second person proof
• Go back to interviewee with any final Qs
• Submit changes to designer
• Check revised proofs and sign (or do another round if needed)
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
7. Print
• Go over final page proofs with designer
• Sign off
• Consult with printer as needed
• Do a press proof if requested
• Make sure printed materials have gone to binder on
schedule
• Look forward to receiving the books!
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
THE LAUNCH
Laurie Kramer
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA
LAUNCH
• Decide on stand-alone event vs piggybacking on
another event
• Decide how to show off the final product
• Develop sales materials and process
• Involve the College
• Reach out to and recognize all participants
• Record the launch if possible
• See a video from our Book 1 launch at
http://youtu.be/_pnDC-LAFO8
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT―SMITH COLLEGE CLUB OF MINNESOTA