"Take a Step Back: Guidance for Determining Oral History Project Goals and How to Reach Them" Thursday, December 6, 2024. Register Now!

The SAA Oral History Section invites you to join us for a collaborative talk to help you decide if oral history is right for you!

Taking a Step Back: Guidance for Determining Oral History Project Goals and How to Reach Them

Thursday December 5, 11:00am PST / 2:00pm EST

Register at  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-GpqDstG9NsNQJFPCFXxw3BLNVPqshr#/registration

Please contact Kristin Morris with questions about this event at kristinmarie.morris@gmail.com.

This talk will help you answer the question, “Is oral history the right approach to achieve our goals and objectives?” 

When it comes to oral history projects, everyone’s got a great idea. But as the archivist, you have to manage the long tail of an oral history project. Internal and external stakeholders will show up with new and partially completed oral history projects, needing your help. How can you guide them towards creating a resource that meets the needs of as many current and future stakeholders as possible? 

Cisco Archivist, Kristin Morris, and CUNY University Archivist, Natalie Milbrodt, will share a series of questions to help you guide a conversation with your project’s stakeholders to determine a positive and responsible course of action. This includes unpacking shared goals, available resources, project scope, and long term support for project outcomes. The presentation will include links to resources for getting your oral historyproject off the ground.

Discussants

As the University Archivist for the City University of New York (CUNY), Natalie Milbrodt’s responsibilities include coordination and planning for archival preservation and records management across the university’s 25 campuses. She serves on the Oral History Association’s Metadata Task Force and as an advisory board member for the New York State Archives. 

Kristin Morris is the Cisco Archivist at the Center for Cisco Heritage, a unique project of the Computer History Museum and Cisco. She has 20 years of experience managing and executing oral history and storytelling projects in a variety of institutions. She serves on the SAA Oral HistorySection Steering Committee.