Oral History Section

The Oral History Section of the Society of American Archivists is composed of members of the Society and others who are interested in or are actively engaged in conducting oral history interviews and/or teach oral history methodology. The Oral History Section provides a forum for news, for discussion of issues and developments, and for establishing and maintaining communication and cooperation with other professional organizations.

News & Announcements

The Labor Archives and Research Center at San Francisco State University celebrated its 30th anniversary this year in a big way. The Archives had been off campus in a remote location for most of its history and we saw the anniversary event as a great opportunity to make our hidden collections more visible - and what’s more visible than an aerial dance performed on the façade of the campus library?
Go For Broke is an informal phrase meaning, “risk everything” or “go all in.” During World War II, Japanese American servicemen adopted this motto while serving their country, even after President Roosevelt enacted Executive Order 9066, ordering over 100,000 Japanese Americans living on the west coast into incarceration camps, and Japanese American men were initially classified as 4-C enemy aliens.
Montana State University Special Collections Library has been working on an Angling Oral History Project that seeks to interview anglers, politicians, artists, authors, and just about anyone else whose work relates to trout and salmon.
A project titled “Portrait of a Collector: A View from the Shelves of Minor Myers, jr.” uses documentary evidence and oral history to close a gap in institutional memory that resulted when Illinois Wesleyan University’s (IWU) 17th president died in office in 2003.
Evanston, Illinois was one of the earliest suburban communities settled outside the city of Chicago and is the site of much important American history. Not only was Evanston home to prominent national figures like Frances Willard, Daniel Burnham and Charles Gates Dawes, but Evanston was from its founding, a place where momentous events of national history took place on a smaller scale.
In preparation for the upcoming SAA Oral History Section election, a full slate of candidates has stepped forward to take part in the election for new leadership positions. Each candidate's bio and statement of interest can be viewed at this link on the Oral History Section's microsite.
Syndicate content