Oral History and Museum Exhibits: An Introduction
From OHA Wiki
Oral histories are verbal narratives of specific life experiences or major events that are recorded and transcribed for historical posterity and research. In many cases, once these interviews have taken place and are transcribed, they are seldom used for any major comprehensive work or exhibition. There are several books that use oral history as a starting point or to interweave the narrative with personal touches, and there are also intensive studies almost exclusively using oral history to learn more about a community or organization. Oral histories can also be used in museums to personally connect visitors to the exhibit. Being able to hear a personal account of an event or life experience or see how the person looked when they told their story can give valuable information to a viewer and might inspire them to learn more about a particular subject. This essay will explore the use of oral history in exhibits to understand how oral histories impact exhibits and how oral history is viewed by the public. Drawing from a variety of sources including current exhibits in museums, this essay will discuss a few examples of how oral history has been successful, explore new possibilities for the future, and highlight possible controversies that may arise.
When researching the history of a public or private organization, oral histories interviews can be major assets because “decision-making in these institutions is frequently complex and seldom produces a record adequate for understanding this process.”1 Recording oral accounts of a business or institution can shed light on the inner workings of the company and can assist in further research and exhibition of that information. For example, an exhibit on Microsoft would be more dynamic if there were interviews with management officials and technicians incorporated into it. Almost any exhibit would benefit from the use of oral history and some major successes will be discussed further in this essay.
Continue this discussion here Oral History and Museum Exhibits: Catering to the Audience
Related Pages
Oral History and Museum Exhibits: Catering to the Audience
Oral History and Museum Exhibits: Successful Exhibits
Oral History and Museum Exhibits: Opposition and Technology
Oral History and Museum Exhibits: Looking to the Future
Oral History and Museum Exhibits: A Bibliography
References
1 Enid H. Douglass, “Oral History and Public History,” The Oral History Review 8 (1980): 4.
