I have never heard of oral histories being made available for distribution as a revenue generating strategy for AA Archives collections until recently. Though the Archives Workbook, Guidelines and Oral History Kit do not refer to this at all, I think the information posted here [all excerpts from the Archives Workbook, Guidelines and Oral History Kit] provides guidance to determining how to view this emergent practice.
Your comments on this are very important as they help to form the group conscience on this practice. Please take the time to post your comments before you sign off.
Yours in love and service, Máire. Area 83 Archivist
Technical suggestions
1. Always begin the recording by identifying yourself, the date, and place of recording on the record (tape or electronic form) itself.
2. Allow the interviewee to talk freely on whatever topics he/she wishes to. Use the questionnaire only as a general guide to keep the flow of discussion focused.
3. State whether or not the material will be available for research.
Use of oral histories in research
Access to oral recording is guided by the local collection’s research policy, unless the interviewee specifically specifies that he/she does not wish to make the record available for research.
The interviewee might request that the record not be available for research for a particular time period. It is important to note this time period on the audio record.
Oral history release form
Local collections are encouraged to develop an oral history release form. A list of suggested statements to be included on the release form is summarized below.
A local archives committee (area, district) collecting oral histories should obtain a release from the interviewee granting the committee the rights to use the material obtained during the course of the interview and make it available for research. Such release takes many forms, and consultation with legal counsel may prove to be a wise investment in order to protect both the interviewee and the local committee.
A form release generally might include:
1. Name of the interviewee.
2. Name of the committee under whose auspice the history is being obtained.
3. Date or other significant notation marking the recording.
4. A brief explanation of the intended uses of the recording.
5. An affirmation that the committee will protect the anonymity
of the recording against misuse at the public level.
6. Language of release.
7. A signature block, including date signed.
8. Statement of limitations, if any.
(Archives Workbook. Guidelines for Collecting Oral Histories. http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/en_pdfs/m-44i_archivesworkbook.pdf)
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Most A.A. members will be delighted by your interest in collecting their histories. Unfortunately, a few may be uncooperative and even hostile. Because of the personal nature of the stories that you will be collecting, you should be especially careful to preserve anonymity at the level of the public media, and in all other ways, protect the privacy and rights of all involved.
Be honest about your intent from the very beginning. Explain your reasons for doing the recordings. Do you simply want to record the stories for posterity? Do you plan to publish your findings? Do you plan to make copies of the tapes, post interviews online, or in any other way make them available to other A.A. members? The ultimate disposition of the collection may affect their willingness to talk about certain subjects.
Don't make promises you can't or don't intend to keep. If you say that you will erase part of a tape, do so, even if it means losing some important information. Respect confidences and privacy. Let your informants see anything that will be published before it is too late to alter the manuscript. The intimate nature of these oral histories places burdens on the researcher that are restrictive and sometimes frustrating, but the rights of the interviewee must be respected.
Do have the interviewee sign a release form. Oral history involves interviewing individuals on a voluntary basis with the explicit intention of creating a historical document that will be preserved (generally in the form of the audio recording as well as the transcription of what was spoken) for the use of future researchers. By means of a simple release form, the interviewer insures both the integrity and continuity of an oral history project and safeguards each interviewee's rights. A sample release form is available from the G.S.O.
Oral History Release Form
A release of some kind, establishing ownership of rights to the interview, should be obtained from every oral history interviewee, whenever possible. This sample form may be applicable in some circumstances. It is advisable to seek legal counsel whenever embarking on a large-scale recording project.
I, __________________________________ (name of narrator), hereby give this interview recorded on ___________________ (insert date) to the [include name] Archives as a donation. With this gift, I transfer to the [include name] Archives legal title and all literary rights, including copyright.I understand the interview may be made available for research and such public programming as the [include name] Archives may determine. This includes right and license to reproduce, copy, modify, display, distribute, perform, broadcast, transmit, and create derivatives from the recording. This may include use of the interview material in print and in live or recorded programs for radio, television, or any electronic publishing medium.
I transfer all of the above rights without limitation, to support the mission of AA and to disseminate information about AA, upon the condition that I, and any other A.A. member Identify, remain anonymous at the level of the public media.
Narrator’s Signature_________________________________________
Address__________________________________________________
City, Province,Postal Code ________________________________________________________
Date______________________
Interviewer’s Signature_______________________________________
Address__________________________________________________
City, Province, Postal Code____________________________________________________
Date_____________________
Comments:
(Oral Histories Kit (http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/en_pdfs/en_oralhistorieskit.pdf), pp.6-7 and 15)
