An oral history interview is an interview with a person or persons, recording their experiences, feelings, and thoughts about the impact of one or more significant historical events on their lives. By adding personal reflections to the study of an historical event students can gain an added dimension to their studies in history and social science.

Oral history is more than just one person with a tape recorder talking to another person. Trying to capture a lifetime or just a small segment of experience in a short interview requires careful planning and preparation on the part of the interviewer. Gathering as much background information as possible allows the interviewer to frame questions that will yield the maximum amount of vital information. Well planned questions give structure to the narrator’s answers and will help to prevent wandering and disconnected responses. Adequate preparation also aids the interviewer during the interview session in crafting effective follow-up questions to encourage additional recall.