Article

Case Study

Writing a Scope of Work
for an Oral History Project

Introduction

In addition to conducting oral history projects, National Park Service employees supervise oral history research completed by contractors or cooperating partners. Historians in the South Atlantic-Gulf region know this well. In recent years the region has added several sites related to the Civil Rights Movement, and oral history interviews have been central to preserving the memories of people who promoted social and economic change.

The historians—William M. Hunter, Deanda M. Johnson, and Cesar A. Vasquez—noted that it’s important and challenging to write comprehensive Scopes of Work that include all elements of an oral history project.

The Challenge

Could we create a document that could help them and all NPS staff write Scopes of Work that cover all the bases of a project?

Response

Historians in the region had already drafted a document that offered sound guidance for oral history projects. All it needed was a few revisions. Note that the document covers the entire oral history process. That process begins with taking stock of related interviews already in an archive and includes creating a preservation plan.

Elements of a Scope of Work for an Oral History Project

An oral history project includes many steps, and it’s important that Scopes of Work pertaining to oral history interviewing capture key elements of the process. This checklist offers guidance for contractors and partners on major steps that an oral history SOW might include, interview procedures and release forms, and oral history project deliverables.

  • Adhere to professional standards as outlined by the Oral History Association in its Principles and Best Practices.

  • Determine if oral history interviews about the topic already exist, what their content is, and how existing interviews affect the research agenda. Create inventories and brief descriptions of existing oral histories and their archival location.

  • Prepare for interviews by completing background research in relevant primary and secondary sources.

  • Be familiar with oral history interview techniques and legal release forms.

  • Understand technical specifications for audio and video recordings.

  • Collaborate with NPS archival/curatorial staff to create a plan for preserving and archiving the interview recordings, transcripts, and other materials.

  • Be prepared to collect copies of donated supplementary materials such as still photographs of interviewees and related memorabilia.

  • Make sure that narrators sign the legal release form and the proper form for donated materials. Note: oral history projects following the ethics and protocols of ethnography may need to modify the NPS legal release form.

  • Write a final/summary report that highlights key findings and future research needs.

  • Make a copy of the recording and transcript and share them with narrators to acknowledge the time and expertise they donated to the National Park Service.

  • Label all materials and create metadata and associated documentation in adherence to Oral History Association Archiving Oral History: Manual of Best Practices.

Interview Procedures and Release Forms

  • Before conducting an oral history interview, make sure that each narrator understands the research goals of the project, why they have been chosen for an interview, that they can decline to answer any question, where the interviews will be archived, and the multiple ways they may be used.

  • Obtain written consent from narrators that they agree to be interviewed and to have a transcript made of the interview. No oral histories will be used if the narrator does not consent to the information being used by the Principal Investigator (PI) and the NPS for educational, planning, and management purposes.

  • Prepare and use an interview guide that includes topics or questions to be explored with each narrator. Ask narrators what topics they think are important to explore. Be ready to pursue new topics as they arise.

  • Index and transcribe recorded oral history recordings to enhance their future use.

  • Share a copy of the interview transcript so the narrators can review the content and make any necessary corrections. Encourage the narrator to review the transcript within 30 days.

  • Share copies of the interview recording and transcript with the narrator as a way to honor the time and expertise they have shared.

  • Provide to the NPS all original recordings, transcriptions, and indexes so they can be archived appropriately.

  • Assure narrators that interviews will not be used if they do not consent to their use by the PI and the NPS for educational, planning and management purposes. No direct quotes will be included from any individual in the study unless they fully understand the potential effects of being identified.

  • A release form should state that the NPS has the signer's permission to identify them by name and may use the material for educational, planning and management purposes, except under conditions they may specify. For certain situations in which the information is important and not otherwise available to the project, the identity of the discussant will be kept confidential and indicated only with a code. The recipient is responsible for holding the list of such consultants confidential. No information about sensitive issues and resources will be made public by the PI without explicit permission from the NPS and the individual interviewee. An image consent and release form will be required if photographs are taken of individuals and groups, or for materials offered by the narrator.

Oral History Project Deliverables

  • A survey of existing oral history collections that includes annotated list of relevant interviews, pertinent archives and archival deposits to be utilized, and a catalogue of oral history interviews the collections hold to determine which interviews to prioritize.

  • A final prospective interview list chosen by NPS in consultation with the contractor, with priority placed on narrators that have not previously been interviewed on this topic.

  • The interview guide(s) in consultation with NPS staff and the narrators.

  • NPS Release/Consent Form, or equivalent.

  • Archival quality video/audio recorded interviews with identified and agreed upon interviewees/narrators and transcriptions in accordance with the Oral History Association guidelines and standards.

  • A collection of still current photographs of each interviewee/narrator.

  • Collection and digitization of any relevant historical materials/photographs that interviewees are willing to share.

  • A summary report of the process/methodology and interviews. The report might include a description of gaps in existing archives and how the newly collected interviews are addressing the gaps; major/common themes in the interviews; identified associated resources (objects, places, structures, landscapes and natural resources); recommendations for future research and lessons learned; and appendices that include interview guide(s), transcripts, and release/consent forms. When the project is complete, NPS staff can upload the summary report to IRMA to apprise other units about completed oral history projects.

  • Final raw recording files, transcriptions, release forms, and summary report of findings submitted on two external hard drives, one to the park and one to the regional office. The contractor will submit any structured data sets created to analyze the materials and all metadata formatted to adhere to the OHA Archiving Oral History: Manual of Best Practices.

  • Evidence that narrators have received a copy of the recorded interview and transcript.

Examples

Historians in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region and the legacy Intermountain Region shared Scopes of Work for specific oral history projects they have supervised. Sometimes oral history projects stand alone, and in other cases they are a research component for an Administrative History. Thanks to Cesar A. Vasqez, historian for South Atlantic-Gulf Region, and Angie Sirna, regional historian for the legacy Intermountain Region, and for sharing these examples.

Statements of Work

Back to Designing a Project: Case Studies

Last updated: February 26, 2024