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Oral History Collaborations and Project Resources

An overview and resource list for oral history projects held in collaboration with Atkins Library Special Collections.

Student Oral History Projects

Many of the interviews in our oral history collections have been conducted by students, often as part of class research projects, to document local history or culture. These interviews may constitute small or large collections that are created by individual students or groups of students.

Examples of Student Oral History Projects

Navigating the Unprecedented: Student Reflections on 2020
Navigating the Unprecedented: Student Reflections on 2020 and 2021 is a collection of interviews created by students as part of the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 LBST 2301 courses taught by Professor Thomas "Joe" Howarth within the Honors College at UNC Charlotte. The project asked students to serve as oral history interviewers and narrators, relating their experiences of this unprecedented time in their own words. In the interviews students reflected on their, their family's, their communities, and UNC Charlotte's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students tell stories of strength, struggle, and societal upheaval as the pandemic changed their lives and as it brought to light the realities of racial inequality and injustice.

 

The Queen's Garden: Oral Histories of the Piedmont Foodshed
The Queen's Garden: Oral Histories of the Piedmont Foodshed explores the rewards and challenges of those who have currently and historically participated in and helped to create the North Carolina Piedmont region's foodshed. By documenting the oral histories of farmers, gardeners, ranchers, gleaners, and individuals contributing to other food distribution efforts, the project was designed to portray the sometimes unexpected and creative ways that local food production and distribution have occurred and changed over time. Interviews include seventeen farmers, nine livestock producers, four community gardeners, a beekeeper, a feed mill operator, and six community activists involved in food re/distribution. Graduate students in Dr. Karen Flint's Oral History and Memory class at UNC Charlotte conducted the interviews in the spring of 2019.

Resources for Student Oral History Projects

Forms for Student Oral History Projects

The consent and release form:

  • Informs interviewees/narrators about the oral history process and how their oral history recording will be used
  • Obtains permission from interviewees/narrators to share their interview with the public
  • Establishes copyright ownership of the interview 

Without the consent and release form oral history interviews have limited value and cannot be archived. 

Interviewee/narrator biographical form:

The biographical form:

  • Establishes accurate information about an interviewee/narrator
  • Helps the interviewer become familiar with the interviewee/narrator before the interview
  • Assists with cataloging interviews that are archived 

FERPA form:

For projects that are conducted as part of student coursework, a FERPA form will need to be signed by students for any interview recordings that are to be archived with Atkins Library.

Special Collections and University Archives offers guidance with creating all forms associated with oral history projects.

Creating Forms:

For creating forms we suggest that you consult the following book:

Form for Collaborative Oral History Projects