Designing and planning your oral history project (Online)
This course, run jointly by the British Library’s oral history department and the Oral History Society, is aimed at anyone who is planning a medium to large scale oral history project, particularly one that will involve managing a number of project interviewers.
It is suitable for project managers, bid writers and academics using oral history in standalone projects, or planning to use oral history as a component within broader community heritage or research activities. The course is not usually appropriate for sole independent researchers.
Before confirming your place the Training Coordinator will contact you for further details about the project you are planning.
Note that this course is preparatory to running an oral history project and is not designed for projects which have already begun. The course does not cover oral history theory and practice, interview methodology and analysis, digital editing or data management. Other courses run by the BL/OHS address all these topics in detail, starting with the Introduction to Oral History course.
Please note:
- There will be no refunds for cancelled places.
- Due to high demand and in order to ensure that each course has attendees with a variety of interests and backgrounds, only two people from any one institution/project may book to attend each course.
- There are two methods of payment. You can pay online via PayPal, debit or credit card or you can make an offline payment where an invoice will be sent to your organisation. Please select the appropriate option in the booking form.
- If you choose to pay by invoice please note that payments for training courses will be made to National Life Stories (NLS), and the invoice will be sent by email from NLS within a week of your booking. Contact the Training Coordinator if you require further details for your purchase order number.
Please contact the Training Coordinator if you would like to be notified of future dates.
Course schedule
This online training course is delivered over Zoom video call. Each course is run over two consecutive morning sessions, 9.30am – 1.15pm. The programme for the course is as follows (please note this is a sample structure and may differ on the day).
Timezone: London, UK.
Hourly Schedule
Day 1
- 09:30 - 10:00
- Welcome and introductions
- 10:00 - 10:45
- Project rationale and focus
- • Why are you here? What is the point of project management? • Understanding your oral history project • Aims and objectives: who is your audience? • Research/background: finding other sources, avoiding duplication • Scope and scale • What else might you like to collect at the same time • Preparing for archiving • Project outputs
- 10:45 - 11:00
- Break
- 11:00 - 11:30
- Project rationale and focus (continued)
- 11:30 - 12:15
- People
- • Staffing: paid staff, volunteers and how to support them, training • Project partners: different roles, archive arrangements • Governance: management and advisory committees • Interviewees: finding them, selecting them, sharing project information • Handing over to your Project Manager • Working with your institution
- 12:15 - 12:30
- Break
- 12:30 - 13:00
- People (continued)
- 13:00 - 13:15
- Review of the day and Q&A
Day 2
- 09:30 - 10:45
- Risk assessment
- • What are the risks that oral history projects face and how can they be mitigated? Practical group work and discussion
- 10:45 - 11:00
- Break
- 11:00 - 11:45
- Technical requirements
- • Recording equipment • File sharing workflow • Data storage and back-up • Documentation workflow • Audio editing and outputs
- 11:45 - 12:15
- Money: Part 1
- • Budget planning: practical session
- 12:15 - 12:30
- Break
- 12:30 - 13:00
- Money: Part 2
- • Evaluation and targets • Sharing your ideas on funding sources
- 13:00 - 13:15
- Review of the day, Q&A and feedback
- 17 - 18 Nov 2026
- 9:30 am - 1:15 pm
- Zoom call Time zone: London, United Kingdom GB
Organizer
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Camille Johnston
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Email
[email protected] Oral History Training Administrator
Speakers
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Julia LettsBL/OHS Trainer; OHS Regional AdviserMy current work revolves around training, interviewing, audio editing and creating podcasts, and managing oral history projects for the heritage, community and education sectors. This takes me all over the West Midlands and beyond where I advise and work with museums, galleries, schools, councils, community groups, arts organisations and wildlife charities. My career started as a BBC Radio Producer and branched into oral history after working as a producer on ‘The Century Speaks’ in 1999. I am an OHS accredited trainer and a key adviser on working with schools and young people. I co-produced the school resources on the OHS website and am a member of the Creative Special Interest Group. Do have a look at my website or give me a call.
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Sarah LowryBL/OHS TrainerI have been working in oral history for 20 years. Initially I was involved as a project manager, running the Refugee Communities Histories Project at the Museum of London and the Foundling Voices Project at the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. Keen to move from management to interviewing, I then took at job at the Royal College of Physicians of London where I now work as the Oral History Officer, interviewing hospital doctors about their careers and the changes they have witnessed in medicine and medical training. I also freelance for the Royal College of Surgeons of London doing a similar role. As a long term resident of Ealing, I also have a real interest in local history and do a lot of work for Gunnersbury Park Museum, helping to catalogue their large oral history collection over many years and recording new interviews on topics such as migration and industry. In 2011 I joined the OHS / BL oral history training team and I love to go out and meet with groups across London, and sometimes further afield, hearing about their work and helping to establish their oral history projects.
