Publishing Oral History Interviews

It is crucial to ensure the long-term preservation of the Oral History projects so that we can pass the interviewees’ experiences and stories on to future generations.

The following materials should be preserved in the appropriate digital repository:

• The original recording (unedited recording)
• The access version of the recording (edited recording)
• A copy of the agreement forms
• A copy of the transcript and bibliography documents
• A list of the interview questions
• Metadata as required by the repository
• Any other materials relevant to the project

Those materials should be adequately preserved, maintained, and accessible according to the best practices of digital preservation. 

For example, BU’s institutional repository, OpenBU, could be a tool to preserve and share your oral history project. OpenBU has the capacity to:

• Store or archive the recording files (audio or video files), the transcription documents, the bibliography documents, the legal documents, and other related documents.
• Make only the recording files, the transcription documents, and the bibliography documents openly accessible to the public.
• Set an embargo or delay the public release of the recording files (and other documents if needed), due to the interviewee’s request. 

Store or archive the original recording files and make the edited version of the recordings openly available to the public. An example of this is for sensitive information or privacy concerns contained in the recordings.