Guidelines for Contributing a Formal Oral History

Historians and archivists suggest the following for an Oral History. We will want to use this format especially when we are collecting information from past USMS presidents and other key people in our history.

• A biographical sketch should be prepared ahead of time. Tape time should not be used for the bio. The bio can be brief, even as little as a page.
• Questions for the Oral History should be prepared ahead of time.
• The Oral History should be taped because the voice and tone of the person is important.
• The time devoted to the taping should not be more than 30 minutes. That's enough time to get what's important. If the tape is lots longer, we probably won't get around to transcribing it.
• The tape should be transcribed, and both the original tape and the transcription should be archived.

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