Cataloging Unpublished Oral History Interviews and Collections

1
Cataloging Unpublished Oral History Interviews
and Collections

• OLAC, 2004
• Marsha Maguire
• University of Washington Libraries
• mmaguire_at_u.washington.edu

2
Areas of Description

• Fundamental elements of information
• Title area Name of the interview or project
• Title area Indication of form, if applicable
• Title area Date/s of interview, span dates of
  project
• Physical description area Number of items with
  physical description of each format
• Note area Language/s if not English
• Note area Name of interviewer/organization
  responsible
• Note area Narrative summary of topics and people
  discussed
• Note area Statement of access/use restrictions
• Controlled access points Names, subject terms

3
Cataloging Tools and Resources

• Marion Matters. Oral History Cataloging Manual,
  Society of American Archivists (SAA), 1995 (25).
• Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., 2002
  and 2004 revisions, ALA, 2004.
• Describing Archives A Content Manual, SAA, 2004.
• Hensen, Steven L. Archives, Personal Papers, and
  Manuscripts A Cataloging Manual for Archival
  Repositories, Historical Societies, and
  Manuscript Libraries, SAA, 1990.
• MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, through
  Update 3.
• Library of Congress Name Authority File (LC
  Authorities).
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LC
  Authorities).
• Art Architecture Thesaurus.
• Minnesota Historical Society, Cataloging Manual,
  section 20, Oral Histories (viewed 9/27/2004).
  http//www.mnhs.org/library/processingmanual/libra
  ry/20.html

4
Oral History

• The process of deliberately eliciting and
  preserving, usually in audio or audio and visual
  recording media, a persons spoken recollections
  of events and experiences based on first-hand
  knowledge.
• Distinct intellectual form
• Some characteristics of deliberately created and
  published works
• Some characteristics of unselfconscious
  accumulations, such as archival records

5
Oral History Cataloging

• Collective description
• Information supplied by cataloger
• Importance of contextual information

6
Unit of Description

• Oral History Interview
• Recorded interview or sequence of interviews
• Interactive question-answer format
• Conducted by an interviewer with a knowledgeable
  interviewee on subject(s) of historical interest
• Intended to be made accessible to researchers
• Not Memoirs, recorded journalistic interviews
  intended for broadcast, or recorded conferences
  or panels

7
Unit of Description

• Oral History Project
• Series of oral history interviews documenting a
  topic, theme, place, organization, event, group
  of people, etc.
• Conducted according to a plan
• Usually under the auspices of a group or of one
  or more cooperating institutions

8
Unit of Description

• Oral History Collection
• Oral history materials from various interviews
  not associated with an OH project
• Usually assembled some time after their creation
  by a collector, or by a repository for
  convenience in management or description
• Might have a theme or focus

9
Sources of Information

• No chief source transcription not required
  square brackets not required
• Finding aid, including abstract, index, etc.
• Recorded interview content
• Container label
• Available documentation (letters, worksheets,
  donor agreements, forms, etc.)
• Ref. sources
• Transcript

10
MARC Fixed Fields and 0XX Fields

• Type (Leader/06)
• p mixed materials (multiple formats)
• i non-musical sound recordings (audio only)
• g projected media (film and/or video only)
• t manuscript language material (unpublished
  transcript only)
• Ctrl (Leader/08) a archival control

11
MARC Fixed Fields and 0XX Fields

• BLvl (Leader/07)
• m single interview
• c project or collection
• d subunit
• Ctry (008/15-17) xx_ unpublished
• DtSt (008/06)
• s single
• i inclusive (Dates begin date, end date)

12
MARC Fixed Fields and 0XX Fields

• 040 e ohcm
• 006 One or more as needed
• 006 innn t
• 006 t 000 0a
• 007 One or more as needed
• 007 vf cbahos 1/2-in. col. videocassette
  w/sound

13
Main Entry

• Interview with an individual Interviewee (100)
  predominant interviewee, or title
• Relator term interviewee (e)
• Oral history project Project name (corporate
  body) (110)
• Collection not related to a project but assembled
  as a group after their creation Personal (not
  corporate) name of collector or under title (100
  or 245)
• Relator term collector (e)
• Entire OH holdings of a repository Repository
  (110)
• Uncertain origin Title (245)
• 100 1 Thayer, Jeanne C., d 1917- e
  interviewee.

14
TitlesMARC 245

• A title consists of
• Form a Oral history interview
• Name(s), with name(s),
• Date(s) f full 4-digit year or year span,
  optional month and day

15
Individual Interview

• Form a Oral history interview with
• Name(s), Ian E. Wilson,
• Date(s) f 2004 Oct.- 2005 July
• 245 10 a Oral history interview with Ian E.
  Wilson and Roch Carrier, f 2004 Oct. 2.

16
Oral History Project

• Form a Oral history interviews of the
• Name(s), Library and Archives Canada Oral
  History Project,
• Date(s) f 2004-ongoing
• 245 10 a Oral history interviews of the
  Hurricane Ivan Oral History Project, f
  2004-2005.

17
Oral History Collection (not project)

• Name(s) a Canadian librarians
• Form, oral history collection,
• Date(s) f 1995-2010
• Ian E. Wilson oral history collection relating to
  Canadian documentary heritage, 2002-2008.

18
Repositorys Entire Holdings of OH

• Form Oral history collection of
• Repository Name, the Montreal Public
  Library,
• Date(s) 1982-2015
• 245 10 a Oral history collection of the
  Canadian Aviation Historical Society, f
  ca.1976-1998.

19
General Material Designation (GMD)

• Not used unless unit of description consists
  solely of
• computer file
• microform
• sound recording
• videorecording
• 245 10 a Oral history interview with Paul
  Martin, f 2004 Sept. 20 h videorecording.

20
Physical Description General

• Guidance See Physical Description area in OHCM,
  appropriate chapter(s) of AACR2, Graphic
  Materials, Music and Sound Recordings, AMIM rules
• One or more physical description statements
  (multiple MARC 300s if needed)
• Describe format(s) available for use
• Optionally, also describe original format(s) in
  MARC 300(s) or a note

21
Physical Description Transcripts(paper,
verbatim or edited)

• Use AACR2 abbreviations
• Extent Many options establish policy
• 1 volume or item Number of pages (2-sided) or
  leaves (1 sided)
• 83 leaves
• 37 p.
• More Number of volumes, filing units, containers
  
• 2 v.
• 3 boxes (28 v.)
• Linear or cubic ft. (eg., for large collections)
• 14 linear ft. (21 boxes)

22
Physical Description Transcripts(paper,
verbatim or edited)

• Dimensions Height in cm. x width if needed
• a 121 p. c 28 cm.

23
Physical Description Transcripts(electronic
form)

• Consult appropriate rules (always changing).
  Usually
• Number of units of the physical carrier and
  dimensions (direct access), or
• Number of files/pages and file type (remote
  access)
• 300 a 1 CD-ROM c 4 ¾ in.
• 300 a 47 p. b digital, PDF file.

24
Physical Description Sound Recordings

• Number of units
• Type of recording (SMD)
• Optional playing time, non-standard speed,
  tracks, sound channels, dimensions
• 300 2 sound tape reels (30 min.) b analog,
  15 ips, 2 track, mono. c 7 in., ½ in. tape.
• 300 8 sound cassettes ( ca. 60 min. each) b
  analog.
• 300 1 DVD-audio (60 min.) b digital c 4 ¾
  in.

25
Physical Description Video Recordings

• Number of units
• Type of recording (SMD)
• Optional playing time, color, dimensions
• 300 2 videocassettes (ca. 50 min.) b col.
  c ½ in.
• 300 8 videocassettes (U-Matic) ( ca. 30 min.
  each) b bw c ¾ in.
• 300 1 DVD-video (60 min.) b sd., col. c 4
  ¾ in. or 12 cm.

26
Physical Description Multiple Formats

• Separate physical description of each format use
  a separate MARC 300 field for each. Optionally,
  add form of material designation in a MARC 3,
  such as
• 3 Transcript a 83 leaves c 28 cm.
• 3 Sound recordings a 8 sound cassettes (ca. 60
  min. each) b analog.

27
Notes

• Minimum
• Interview details, including name of
  interviewer and language if not English (MARC
  518)
• Scope and content/abstract (MARC 520)

28
Notes

• Biographical note (MARC 545)
• Context
• When/where the interviewee(s) was born and
  educated
• Race/ethnicity/nationality
• Family info (parents, siblings, spouse, children)
• Occupation
• Political/religious/organizational affiliations
• Interests and accomplishments
• Awards, special qualifications

29
Notes

• Interview/project details (MARC 518)
• Interviews
• Date of interview/s
• Name of interviewer
• Language of interview/s
• Optionally
• Place/s of interview/s
• Names of others present
• Sponsorship/sources of funding
• Circumstances of interviews
• (Add an optional 033 for coded date and place of
  the capture of the recorded information)

30
518 Interviewed by Jacob McMurray,
Vancouver, B.C., 3 October, 1997 recorded in
English and Japanese.
31
Notes

• Interview/project details (MARC 518)
• Projects and collections
• Date(s) of interviews
• Name/description of interviewer(s)
• Language of interviews
• Optionally
• Sponsorship/sources of funding
• Circumstances of interviews
• Location(s) of interviews

32
518 Interviews funded by the National
Endowment for the Humanities and conducted by
Catherine Kerst and Peter Bartis in and around
Paradise, Nevada, 1992-1994. The project was
directed by Alan Jabbour, director, American
Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
33
Notes

• Summary of content, nature, scope (MARC 520)
• Interviews
• Generally, include (as available and applicable)
• Places, names, time period discussed
• Summary of interview content (events, conditions,
  activities, etc.)
• Opinions and attitudes of/about interviewee or
  others
• Recollections about others
• Brief summary of stories, anecdotes

34

• 520 Fred Gonzales discusses his life and
  activities during World War II, including his
  experience getting lost along the front lines in
  France and identifying German spies among the
  ranks. He concludes with thoughts on how the war
  changed him.

35
Notes

• Summary of content, nature, scope (MARC 520)
• Projects and collections
• Content, nature, scope of included interviews
• Names/descriptions of interviewees
• Places and time periods discussed
• Topics and events documented
• Opinions, points of view expressed

36
520 Interviews document the experiences of
nine Asian Indian immigrants in Minnesota. Each
immigrant briefly describes his or her family of
origin, the social context in which he or she was
raised, and the decision to immigrate to the
United States. Interviews focus heavily on values
and attitudes, comparing the "Indian way" with
the "American way," especially as they relate to
family, marriage, parenting, work, and community
life. Narrators also speak about their
association with Indian social groups or
religious organizations in the United States.
37
Notes

• Linking entry complexity (MARC 580/773)
• (Forms part of note)
• If the interview forms part of a oral history
  project, give the project title (as formulated
  following the rules for devising oral history
  project titles). Precede with intro phrase Forms
  part of
• Until recently, MARC 580 now use MARC 773 i.

38
Notes

• Host item entry (MARC 773)
• 773 08 i Forms part of a Wisconsin
  Agriculturalists Oral History Project. t Oral
  histories of the Wisconsin Agriculturalists Oral
  History Project w (OCoLC ) 50628465

39
Notes

• Additional physical form available (MARC 530)
• Information on additional formats in which the
  described material is available in the
  repository, on loan, for purchase, online.
• 530 Transcript also available online u
  http//www.lib.washington.edu/sc/oralhist/oh24.htm
  l
• 530 Microfilm copy of transcripts available
  for purchase b Special Collections, P.O. Box
  352900, Seattle, WA 98195 d OH24.

40
Notes

• Reproduction (MARC 533)
• If unit of description is a copy of an original
  located elsewhere/destroyed, provide
• Type, place, agency, date of reproduction
• Physical description of reproduction
• 533 Photocopy. b Seattle, Wash. c
  University of Washington, d 1979. e 28 cm.

41
Notes

• Location of originals/duplicates (MARC 535)
• If unit of description is a copy of an original
  not held by the repository, state name, contact
  info. of custodian repository.
• 535 1 Originals held by Regional Oral History
  Office, University of California, Berkeley.
• 535 2 Copies of transcripts available at
  Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon.

42
Notes

• Provenance (MARC 561)
• If applicable and available, describe successive
  transfers of ownership. Rare.
• 561 Originally recorded by Madisons son,
  these and all the Madison family oral history
  cassettes were arranged and transcribed by Roger
  Madisons niece, Elizabeth May, before being
  given to Sarah Wolfe in 1992.

43
Notes

• Immediate source of acquisition (MARC 541)
• Immediate donor or source.
• Name of source
• Method of acquisition (gift, purchase, transfer,
  etc.)
• Date of acquisition
• Source unknown
• Internal info Address, accession , purchase
  price
• 541 c Gift William May d 1989.

44
Notes

• Restrictions on access (MARC 506)
• Restrictions placed on access to the
  interview(s).
• Terms of restriction
• Date when term of restriction ends (if
  applicable)
• Additional details
• 506 Access restricted until 1 January 2008.
• 506 Stored off site 24-hour advance notice
  required.

45
Notes

• Restrictions on use and reproduction (MARC 540)
  
• Restrictions placed on use and reproduction of
  the interview(s) i.e., restrictions on the right
  to reproduce, exhibit, fictionalize, quote from,
  etc.
• 540 No part of the interview may be quoted
  for publication without the prior written
  permission of the interviewee.
• 540 Literary rights of Bill Gates have been
  granted to the public.

46
Notes

• Finding aids (MARC 555)
• Describe name indexes, unpublished finding
  aids/inventories, abstracts, etc.
• 555 0 Name index available.
• 555 0 Finding aid available in the repository
  and on the World Wide Web.
• 856 42 u http//lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ead/jackson
  .html z Connect to the online finding aid for
  this collection

47
Notes

• Preferred citation (MARC 524)
• Preferred format and content for citing described
  material.
• 524 Songs of Atlantic Canada Oral History
  Project, Folklore and Language Archive,
  University of Newfoundland.

48
Notes

• Citation (MARC 510)
• Cite works in which abstracts, citations, etc.
  about described materials have appeared.
• 510 3 Described in Guide to Missouri Oral
  History Collections, 1995.
• Publications about described materials (MARC 581)
  
• Cite works based on described materials.
• 581 8 Civil rights and Japanese American
  internment. Palo Alto, Calif. Stanford Program
  on International and Cross-Cultural Education,
  2002.

49
Notes

• General notes (MARC 500)
• Other descriptive information not covered by
  other notes.
• Physical description
• Supplementary materials
• Transcript information
• 500 Audiocassettes duplicated from original
  reel-to-reel tapes, 1997.
• 500 Accompanied by 12 photographs and three
  maps.
• 500 Transcript heavily edited.

50
Controlled Access Points

• Personal names
• Subjects people discussed (600)
• Interviewer (700)
• Additional interviewees (700)
• Organizational names
• Subjects organizations discussed (610)
• Other contributing/sponsoring institutions (710)
• Name of larger collection (773)
• Subject headings (topics discussed) (650)
• Geographical headings (places discussed) (651)
• Form/genre headings (finding oral histories in a
  sea of books) (655)
• Oral histories
• Transcripts
• Photographs

51
Access Points - General

• Sources of information Determine access points
  from the same sources used in the descriptive
  parts of the record
• Access points should be justified in the
  description

52
Access Points Added Entries

• Make added entries for
• Interviewee(s) Two or more interviewees--Main
  entry under predominant interviewee, added
  entries for other interviewees. Follow each with
  e interviewee. (MARC 700)
• Interviewer(s) Make an added entry under the
  heading for the interviewer. If more than one, or
  for a project or collection, make added entries
  for any or all interviewers. Follow each with e
  interviewer. (MARC 700)
• Many interviewers Use judgment, based on
• significant contribution to project
• significant number of interviews
• authoring of work(s) based on interviews
• interviewer(s) considered well known or prominent

53
Access Points Added Entries

• Make added entries for
• Associated corporate bodies Any corporate bodies
  significantly involved in development,
  management, sponsorship, or funding (MARC 710)
• Parent project name If individual interview is
  part of a named project, make an a.e. under the
  project name (MARC 710)
• Alternate titles Any title, other than that
  given in 245 Title area, by which material is
  known (MARC 246)
• Titles contained within unit of description
  Title entries or name-title entries of works
  contained within the unit of description (MARC
  700, 710, or 740)

54
Access Points Subjects

• v Interviews (free-floating subdivision)
• Use under names of
• Individual persons interviewed
• 600 10 Moranis, Rick v Interviews.
• Individual corporate bodies (for interviews or
  collections of interviews with persons associated
  with the corporate body
• 610 20 Minnesota Vikings (Football team) v
  Interviews.
• 610 20 McGill University x Faculty v
  Interviews,
• Use under topical headings for interviews with
  one or more persons from specific
• Classes of people
• 650 0 Loggers z British Columbia v
  Interviews.
• Ethnic groups
• 650 0 African Americans z Maryland v
  Interviews.

55
Access Points Subjects

• Additional name/subject headings
• In addition, assign as many
• personal and corporate name headings
• topical headings
• geographic headings
• as needed to provide access to the content of the
  interview.
• 650 0 Tree felling z British Columbia.
• 610 20 McGill University x Faculty.
• 651 0 British Columbia x Politics and
  government.

56
Access Points Form/Genre Terms

• Use MARC 655 field.
• Good source of terms Art Architecture
  Thesaurus
• 655 7 Oral histories. 2 aat
• 655 7 Transcripts. 2 aat

57
Interview Example

• OCLC 51245683 Rec stat c
• Entered 20021218 Replaced 20040203
  Used 200212
• Type g ELvl I Srce d Audn
  Ctrl a Lang eng
• BLvl d Form GPub Time 024
  MRec Ctry xx
• Desc a TMat v Tech l DtSt s
  Dates 2000,
• 040 WAU c WAU d OCLCQ e ohcm
• 007 v b f d c e b f a g h h o i s
• 043 n-us-wa
• 090 b
• 049 WAUW
• 100 1 Haaga, Agnes, e interviewee.
• 245 10 Oral history interview with Agnes Haaga
  and Geraldine Siks, f 2000 Sept. 10 h
  videorecording.
• 300 1 videocassette (VHS) (24 min.) b
  sd., col. c 1/2 in.

58
Interview Example

• 545 0 Haaga and Siks are former children's
  theater instructors for the University of
  Washington School of Drama. Haaga was hired by
  School of Drama director Glenn Hughes in 1947 to
  start a children's theater program at the UW.
  Siks, an author of children's plays and textbooks
  on children's theater, was hired in 1948 as the
  program expanded. Both have also participated in
  the Arena Group alumni organization.
• 520 Agnes Haaga and Geraldine Siks relate
  memories of building a
• children's theater program, learning from drama
  pioneers Glenn Hughes and
• Winifred Ward, and instructing students such as
  playwright Megan Terry.
• They also discuss their work with the Arena
  Group, and offer advice for
• students of drama.
• 500 "Tape 17"--Cassette label.
• 600 10 Haaga, Agnes v Interviews.
• 600 10 Siks, Geraldine v Interviews.
• 610 20 Arena Alumnae v Interviews.
• 610 20 University of Washington. b School of
  Drama.
• 650 0 Actresses z Washington (State) z
  Seattle v Interviews.
• 650 0 Acting teachers z Washington (State) z
  Seattle v Interviews.

59
Interview Example

• 650 0 Children's theater z Washington (State)
  z Seattle.
• 655 7 Oral histories. 2 aat
• 700 1 Starry, Michele, e interviewer.
• 710 2 Arena Group Oral History Project.
• 773 08 i Forms part of a Arena Group Oral
  History Project. t Oral history interviews of
  the Arena Group Oral History Project, 2000-2001
  w (OCoLC)50816065

60
Project Example

• OCLC 50816065 Rec stat c
• Entered 20021021 Replaced 20030520
  Used 200305
• Type g ELvl I Srce d Audn
  Ctrl a Lang eng
• BLvl c Form GPub Time 300
  MRec Ctry xx
• Desc a TMat v Tech l DtSt m
  Dates 2000,2001
• 040 WAU c WAU e ohcm
• 007 v b f d c e b f a g h h o i s
• 043 n-us-wa
• 090 b
• 049 WAUW
• 110 2 Arena Group Oral History Project.
• 245 10 Oral history interviews of the Arena
  Group Oral History Project, f 2000-2001 h
  videorecording.
• 300 17 videocassettes (VHS) (ca. 300 min.)
  b sd., col. c ½
• in.

61
Project Example

• 518 Interviewed by Michele Starry during 2000
  and 2001 at the
• Penthouse Theatre on the campus of the
  University of Washington.
• Interviewees include Bill Crossett, Wendy
  Iverson, Katie Dolan and Shirley
• Ward, and Agnes Haaga and Geraldine Siks.
• 520 The project conducted 10 interviews with
  individuals associated
• with the Arena Alumnae during the groups early
  years in the 1940s and
• 1950s. The Arena Alumnae were primarily
  interested in raising funds to
• support scholarships for promising actors and
  actresses attending the
• University of Washington School of Drama.
  Originally an offshoot of a similar
• group in the English Dept., Arena Alumnae began
  raising funds by holding
• afternoon teas at the home of Glenn Hughes.
• 610 20 Arena Alumnae v Interviews.
• 610 20 University of Washington. b School of
  Drama.
• 650 0 Actors z Washington (State) z Seattle
  v Interviews.
• 650 0 Actresses z Washington (State) z
  Seattle v Interviews.
• 655 7 Oral histories. 2 aat
• 700 1 Crossett, Bill, d 1921- e interviewee.
• 700 1 Haaga, Agnes, e interviewee.