What is Oral History?

The collection and study of historical information

using tape recordings of interviews with people
having personal knowledge of past events

Oral history is the systematic collection of

living people’s testimony about their own
experiences
Oral history is not folklore, gossip, hearsay,
or rumor. Oral historians attempt to verify
their findings, analyze them, and place them
in an accurate historical context.
Importance of Oral History
1. Oral history helps round out the story of the past
provides accurate information.
Eyewitnesses to events contribute various viewpoints
and perspectives.

2. Oral history helps understand how individuals

and communities experienced the forces of history.
It brings depth to our understanding of the past by
carrying us into experience at an individual level.
3. Oral history reveals changes and similarities
over time
 It allows people to express the personal
consequences of change, from the simple things of
life to the more complex.

4. Oral history preserves our present and past

for future generations.
Oral history enables people to share their stories,
helping future historians avoid generalizations.