OHA Fall09.qxd:OHA Fall09 7/28/09 1:14 PM Page 1 Fall 2009 Volume XLIII Number 2 oral history association newsletter 2009 OHA conference theme: “Moving Beyond the Interview” A Preview DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR PROPOSALS By Michael Frisch, OHA President-Elect Oral historians interested in presenting at the International Oral History Association’s On behalf of Program Co-Chairs Alicia Rouverol and Mark Tebeau, I’m pleased conference in Prague next July have until to preview the exciting OHA fall meeting planned for the Galt House Hotel in Sept. 6 to submit proposals. The confer- Louisville, Ky., Oct. 14-18. The complete program is available on the OHA web- ence is July 7-11, 2010. Proposals may www.oralhistory.org site, . be submitted in English or Spanish. Our theme is “Moving Beyond the Interview” — “doing some- thing” with the interviews oral historians collect. As it happens, oral Further information is available online at historians in Kentucky have been working this theme intensively, www.ioha2010prague.cz or from the Appalachian coalfields to the multicultural complexi- www.iohanet.org ty of Louisville, from bluegrass music to the world of Kentucky bluegrass horse farms and racing. Kentucky is the only state with a formal Oral History Commission, guid- In this issue ing ambitious projects in communities across the state. In short, in Louisville OHA comes to a city, From the president . 2 region and state that perfectly match our Farm, ranch museum updates theme and that provide a wealth of resources to enrich the meeting experi- catalog . 3 ence. Every OHA meeting offers local Oral history book wins three and regional connection, but this relation- major awards . 3 ship has shaped the Louisville meeting profoundly, as this overview of major fea- OHMAR recognizes West Main Historic District, Louisville, Ky., a conference tour destination (see page 5). tures will show. Brien Williams . 8 (continued on page 4) Photo courtesy of Louis J. Moseson Oregon Historical Quarterly seeks manuscripts . 8 Special report Nicaragua project receives 2009 emerging crises grant . 8 oHa members to consider guideline revisions OHMAR conference features From its earliest days in the late 1960s, the Oral History Association has sought to devel- performing arts . 9 op and promote professional standards for oral historians, with an eye toward creating Chicago oral historians commemo- recorded oral history interviews that will stand the test of time. rate John Hope Franklin . 10 “Goals and guidelines” were first published in 1968 and have since been revised and expanded in 1979, 1989, 1990 and 1998 to address changing technology, new uses of Bill would promote preservation oral history and emerging ethical concerns. of historical records . 10 Now, a decade after the last revisions, OHA members will be asked to vote on the latest guideline revisions, which will be presented at the conference in Louisville Oct. 14-18. CALL FOR PAPERS: The complete text of the proposed new document “General Principles for Oral History” 2010 OHA Annual Meeting . 11 and “Best Practices for Oral History,” prepared by a task force headed by Tracy K’Meyer, News & Notes . 12 appears in this Newsletter on pages 6–7. OHA Fall09.qxd:OHA Fall09 7/28/09 1:14 PM Page 2 From the president OHA accomplishments to report In the past few months my attention has been drawn repeat- continues to expand and edly to sound studies and to oral history’s under-appreciated improve. April witnessed contributions to this emerging field of study and practice. the launch of the first sec- Sound Studies has experienced an explosion of interest in tions of Doug Boyd’s recent years, as witnessed in the publication of new mono- tutorial on audio field graphs and journal articles, scientific studies of brain physiol- recording, which includes ogy and the biological foundations of music and a surging sections on digital audio wave of works by scientists, composers, artists, documentari- recording basics, three ans, historians, ethnographers and others. The interest, of video modules on com- course, is also shared by oral historians, as witnessed in our mon portable field increasing attention to the quality of audio recordings and recorders and one on our concern about their preservation and dissemination. It is adjusting recording levels, also reflected in the theme of the Oral History Society’s 2009 a glossary of terms and annual conference, “Hearing Voice in Oral History,” which concepts, and links to Charles Hardy III, was held this July in Glasgow, Scotland. online resources. Soon to West Chester University come are sections on microphones and preservation. In the past few months my attention has been drawn This June the Web site published Linda Shopes’ just com- repeatedly to sound studies and to oral history’s under- pleted “Oral History, Human Subjects, and Institutional Review Boards,” the best introduction to IRB review and oral appreciated contributions to this emerging field of histories. In the past year a taskforce led by Tracy K’Meyer study and practice. has been editing and revising the OHA’s Evaluation Guidelines into a more concise “General Principles and Best Practices.” They are included in this OHA Newsletter and Awareness of oral historians’ work in sound studies, howev- will be posted on the Web site. Members will vote on the er, is not well known outside of our own field. Let me share revisions at the annual meeting this October in Louisville. but two examples. In a fascinating article, “Hearing Still to be developed are the OHA Wiki and Network, American History,” (Journal of American History, September whose growth and usefulness are dependent upon you. To 2008), Richard Cullen Rath examines recent historical schol- locate others who share your interests please register on the arship on “hearing the past.” Focusing on written histories OHA Network and help us build the Wiki into a rich about sound and hearing, he makes, however, no mention of resource for all interested in the field of oral history. oral history or of American history scholarship in sound. In As Mike Frisch’s article in the Newsletter shows, he and his Recording Cultures: Audio Culture and the Ethnographic program committee have put together a terrific annual meet- Experience, published by Sage this year, communication stud- ing, the program for which is posted on the OHA Web site. ies professors Daniel Makagon and Mark Neumann explain In related news, the 2010 annual meeting is being relocated how sound documentary can expand ethnographic practice from Lowell, Mass., because of a change in hotel ownership, and discuss the growing variety of audio documentary forms, to Atlanta, where Rina Benmayor is already lining up com- including soundscape recordings, sound walks and sonic mittees and sponsors with the assistance of former OHA maps, radio diaries, earwitness accounts, and audio essays. president Cliff Kuhn and has begun the work of putting Oral history, however, is all but absent from their study, and together another wonderful program. the few passing references in which it is mentioned tend to In January the Oral History Review completed its first year be misleading or inaccurate. with Oxford University Press and continues to thrive under The omission of oral history in both of these publications editor Kim Porter. Submissions are up, especially interna- says more about the narrow disciplinary specialization so tional ones, as are the number of book reviews, but Kim con- common in contemporary scholarship than about the quality tinues to look for good articles that make use of the multime- and significance of oral history work related to sound studies. dia capabilities of the online version of the journal. The It also, I believe, affirms the importance of the Oral History Review will soon be available through EBSCOhost, giving the Association’s multidisciplinary membership and eclecticism. It journal greater world-wide exposure. As should be expected would make sense that the media convergence being wrought in this economy, however, subscriptions to the Oral History by the digital revolution be accompanied by disciplinary con- Review — and thus OHA revenues — have declined. Oxford vergence; and here, the OHA annual meeting is a wonderful will soon offer a proposal on how to address this issue. forum to share common interests with people from different Thank you for renewing your own membership and please disciplines. encourage others to join the association. So what has the OHA been up to in the past few months? Look forward to seeing you all at the annual meeting, Under Margie McLellan’s able editorship, the OHA Web site Charlie v Fall 2009 2 OHA Newsletter OHA Fall09.qxd:OHA Fall09 7/28/09 1:14 PM Page 3 Farm, ranch museum updates catalog The treasured voices of our ancestors are an important resource The new edition expands the when it comes to New Mexico history, and the New Mexico descriptions to include specif- Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum has completed two, year-long ic collections at each institu- Tprojects that will make discovering those voices easier. tion. Also included in this The Oral History Program at the museum in Las Cruces edition is a name index fea- announces the publication of the third edition of the Oral turing more than 6,100 History Collections Catalog for New Mexico. The 264-page names and the inclusion of publication lists all of the particulars for nearly 10,000 several collections of New archived interviews from around the state. Each entry lists the Mexico-related oral histories names of persons interviewed, the location where it is stored, from repositories outside the description of the interview, the geographical coverage, the state. date range, the format (cassette, reel-to-reel, video, etc.), The publication of the cat- availability to the public and research aids.