CURATING ORAL HISTORIES
SURVEY
___Academic |
___Government |
__x_Historical
ociety |
__x_Museum |
___Religious |
___For
Profit |
___Public library/
school |
__x_Non-Profit |
___Other |
|
Name of library/archive/project: Cherokee National
Archives
Parent Institution (if applicable): Cherokee National
Historical Society
Contact person
Tom Mooney
Title: Archivist
Phone: 918-456-6007 x22
Email: [log in to unmask]
Location (city):
Describe
briefly your oral history collection:
Number of interviews: Approximately
200
Time span and geographic scope: 1930 - 1985
Subjects collected:
Cherokee history, memories, folklore, historical
footnotes
How do you acquire oral histories?
___x__ Donation __x___
Produced in-house __x_Purchased
____Other (explain)
Comments
on acquisition of oral histories:
We could have used a more consistent effort in collecting histories and
regrettably are still not very active in this area.
In what formats do you archive oral histories?
____ Paper transcript
___x_ Analog audio: (specify) reel-to-reel,
audiocassette, microcassette:
_____ Digital audio: (specify) DAT, CD, minidisc,
datafile, other
This September we will begin digitalization, as I
understand the project, all will be on CD
_____Visual: (specify) analog video, digital video, DVD,
other
Does your archive have a schedule for format refreshment
or transfer? Describe. We will
begin a 5 year cycle
Are any of your oral histories endangered due to media
deterioration? Describe.
Most oral histories are on reel-to-reel and we expect
their quality to be good, however they have not been played recently. There are some others on cassette that
were poorly made and may be in greater danger. Others are c. 1963 on cheap 3” reels
that involve Cherokee legends and are in extremely poor condition and may
already be lost.
What are the biggest challenges dealing with multiple
formats for oral histories?
How do you catalog oral
histories?
_____ Don’t catalog
__x___ Finding aid
-- FileMaker Pro database
_____ Full MARC cataloging
_____ Brief MARC cataloging
_____ Catalog using metadata, e.g. EAD, TEI
(specify):
Where do your catalog records
live?
_____ OCLC or RLIN
_____ Other aggregated database or digital library
(specify)
_____ Institution’s online
catalog
_____ Institution’s website
_____ Catalog records not available
online
___x__ Other (describe): computer file only, we will produce
finding aid this fall
Are your oral histories online in any form?
Describe.
No
If not, are you considering publishing your oral
histories on the internet in any form? No, perhaps the finding aid may go
on-line
If yes to either of these questions, may I contact you
for more details?
What are some of the greatest challenges for archiving
oral histories today? Media deterioration
What are some of the greatest possibilities for
preserving and providing access to oral histories in the 21st
century? I believe the Internet has opened a lot
of new doors as we now have the technology to place archival records on-line,
such as the LOC’s American Memories site.
What is the greatest need for oral history archivists
(e.g. training, staff, money, technology?)
Money is always nice, but getting the time to care for
records, place them on-line, and migrate them to newer technologies is also a
problem
Is communication between oral historians and archivists
sufficient? What steps could be taken to enhance
understanding?
Is the processing of oral histories sufficiently funded
in your institution? No
What is the greatest challenge in your daily handling of
oral histories? We really have not provided the care in the past they
deserve. Part of this is staff time
being spread too thin and letting other projects continually be placed ahead of
preservation efforts.
Samples of your written documentation (donor forms,
guidelines for cataloging, grant proposals) would be welcome
Return survey by email attachment or
Nancy MacKay
[log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Richard FieldsTo: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 8:12 AMSubject: Fwd: Curating oral histories - Surveysee attachedDate: Fri, 28 May 2004 19:17:42 -0400
From: Nancy MacMay <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Curating oral histories - Survey
To: [log in to unmask]
Hello everyone,
I am collecting some data for a research project on "the state
of curating oral histories." If you, or someone in your institution
works with the cataloging, processing or archiving oral histories, I
would be ever so grateful if you could complete my survey posted at
http://people.mills.edu/mackay/Survey1.doc. It should take about 20
minutes, and you can return it by email attachment or US mail.
DEADLINE: June 15, 2004
I am a librarian (cataloger), a practicing oral historian and
currently am the archivist and coordinator for the oral history
program at Mills College. As I move from one role to another in my
daily work, I'm keenly aware of the gaps in information between oral
historians and archivists, and I believe the quality of archived oral
histories is compromised.
I hope to identify the major challenges in processing archival
quality oral histories, e.g. staffing, technology, funding,
communication, record keeping, preservation, etc., and to encourage
best practices guidelines for processing oral histories.
Thank you in advance for your time. If you have any questions,
please contact me at [log in to unmask] with the subject line:
Oral history survey
Nancy MacKay
Head, Technical Services and Collection Development
Coordinator, Oakland Living History Program
Mills College
Oakland, California
[log in to unmask]
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