Title: Cataloging Unpublished Oral History Interviews and Collections
1Cataloging Unpublished Oral History Interviews
and Collections
2What is Oral History
- 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.
Oral historians are also concerned with storage
of their findings for use by later scholars.
3What is Oral History
- In oral history projects, an interviewee recalls
an event for an interviewer who records the
recollections and creates a historical record.
- Event-- interviewee-- interviewer--
historical record
- Oral history depends upon human memory and the
spoken word. The means of collection can vary
from taking notes by hand to elaborate electronic
aural and video recordings.
4Oral 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
5Sequence for Oral History Research
- 1.Formulate a central question or issue.
- 2.Plan the project. Consider such things as end
products, budget, publicity, evaluation,
personnel, equipment, and time frames.
- 3.Conduct background research.
- 4.Interview.
- 5.Process interviews.
- 6.Evaluate research and interviews and cycle back
to step 1 or go on to step 7.
- 7.Organize and present results.
- 8.Store materials archivally.
6Unit 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
7Unit 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
8Unit 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
9Resources
- Marion Matters. Oral History Cataloging Manual,
Society of American Archivists (SAA), 1995
(25).
- Minnesota Historical Society, Cataloging Manual,
section 20, Oral Histories
- http//www.mnhs.org/library/processingmanual/libra
ry/20.html
10Sources 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
11MARC 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
12MARC 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)
13MARC Fixed Fields and 0XX Fields
- 040 e dacs 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
14Main 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.
15TitlesMARC 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
16Individual 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.
17Oral 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.
18Oral 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.
19Repositorys 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.
20General 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.
21Physical Description General
- 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
22Physical 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)
23Physical Description Transcripts(paper,
verbatim or edited)
- Dimensions Height in cm. x width if needed
- a 121 p. c 28 cm.
24Physical Description Transcripts(electronic
form)
- 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.
25Physical 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.
26Physical 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.
27Physical 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.
28Notes
- Minimum
- Interview details, including name of
interviewer and language if not English (MARC
518)
- Scope and content/abstract (MARC 520)
29Notes
- 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
30Notes
- 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)
- 518 Interviewed by Jacob McMurray, Vancouver,
B.C., 3 October, 1997 recorded in English and
Japanese.
31Notes
- 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
- 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
32Summary 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
- 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.
33Summary 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
34Notes
- 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.
35Notes
- 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
36Notes
- 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.
37Notes
- 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.
38Notes
- 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.
39Notes
- 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.
40Notes
- 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.
41Notes
- 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.
42Notes
- 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.
43Notes
- 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
44Notes
- 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.
45Notes
- 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.
46Notes
- 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.
47Controlled 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
48Access 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
49Access 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
50Access 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)
51Access 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.
52Access 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
53Access 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
54Interview 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.
55Interview 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.
56Interview 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
57Project 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.
58Project 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.
59Project Example
- 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.
- 700 1 Siks, Geraldine Brain, e interviewee.
- 700 1 Starry, Michele, e interviewer.