Guides: Creating Oral Histories: Preparing for Interviews

Preparing for your Interview

Prepare for the interview: Start by researching the interviewee's background and work to familiarize yourself with them and their work, personal background, etc. Create a list of questions that cover various aspects of their research, career milestones, challenges faced, and any personal experiences they may want to share.
Set up the interview: Contact the interviewee and explain your intention and goals to conduct an oral history interview. Discuss the logistics, such as the preferred time, location, and mode of the interview (in-person, phone, or video call). Establish with each interviewee if there are topics they do not want to address. Establish with each interviewee in general terms how long the interview will last. Consider sending each interviewee an outline of questions you might ask, so they have time to think about how they want to answer. Longer interviews may need to be split into 2 or 3 parts depending on the length of the interview(s).
Create a release form and make it available to sign: Craft a release form specifying how the interviews will be used and the copyright assignment (to the interviewer or reserved by the interviewee) and be prepared to bring it with you to the interviews. Have each interviewee sign two copies of the form (one is for them to keep). Here is a sample lease form created by Lauinger Library. See the Web Resource tab of this guide for other examples of releases
Determine the equipment setup: If you are recording an interview in person, ensure you have the necessary recording equipment or software to record the conversation. Practice using the equipment. If you are unsure and need guidance, schedule a consultation with library staff.