Oral History

Not all history is written. Oral history is a powerful medium that enables us to capture stories not found in traditional archival sources. Through audio, video, and transcription, the AHC collects the history of individuals, families, important events, and everyday life. We conduct interviews with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories, perceptions, and opinions are preserved as an audio record for future generations.

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Oral History Collections Guide

The AHC holds 151 oral history collections with conversations from 988 named interviewees. This guide identifies collections at the American Heritage Center that contain oral history material. For each collection, the guide provides historical context, a description of the collection's contents, details about the oral history component (including interviewee names where identifiable), available formats, access information, and a link to the full finding aid on Archives West.

 

Entries are arranged alphabetically by collection title. Each entry includes the collection number, date range, and format availability. Format availability (audio, video, transcript, digital) is based on what each finding aid explicitly describes, not a physical inventory of the collection. Collections listed without a format may still contain it.

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Two people conducting an oral history interview sit across from one another. The interviewer is smiling and asking a question. Various recording equipment rests on the table.