Introduction to Oral History (London)
This self-contained course, organised jointly by the National Life Stories at the British Library and the Oral History Society, aims to be an informal and practical introduction to oral history interviewing.
The training includes the opportunity discuss some of the issues around oral history, life stories and memory. You will also learn about recording equipment and how to document oral history recordings.
Each course is led by one of the BL/OHS-accredited trainers. Places are limited to 10 per online course and 12 per in-person course, and demand exceeds available places so please apply early. No previous experience of oral history is required.
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, a maximum of two people from any one institution 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.
- In booking this training course you agree to follow the OHS Code of Conduct.
Please contact the Training Coordinator if you would like to be notified of future dates.
Course schedule
This in-person training course will take place at the British Library in London. 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
In-person course
- 10:00 - 10:15
- Welcome and introductions
- 10:15 - 11:30
- What is Oral History?
- Understanding memory
- 11:30 - 11:45
- Short break
- 11:45 - 13:00
- Getting started
- Aims and objectives, who to interview, question approaches, setting up the interview, interview skills
- 13:00 - 14:00
- Lunch (not provided)
- 14:00 - 14:45
- Getting started (continued)
- 14:45 - 15:30
- Documentation
- Summarising, transcription, copyright, archiving
- 15:30 - 15:45
- Short break
- 15:45 - 16:15
- An introduction to choosing your recording equipment
- 16:15 - 16:45
- Practice interview
- 16:45 - 17:15
- Evaluation of practice interview
- 17:15 - 17:30
- Review of the day, Q&A and feedback
- 12 Nov 2026
- 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
- The British Library
Organizer
-
Camille Johnston
-
Email
[email protected] Oral History Training Administrator
Speaker
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Rib DavisBL/OHS Trainer; Chair of the OHS Environment and Climate Change SIGI have worked for many years as an accredited trainer in oral history both in the UK and abroad (most recently with a NGO in Beirut). I also run oral history projects and act as an oral history consultant in a wide variety of settings, from galleries and museums to schools, youth groups and heritage, arts and community organisations. My involvement in the field began in the mid ‘70s in Milton Keynes, alongside Roger Kitchen and Roy Nevitt at The Living Archive. That eventually led to my researching, writing and mostly directing 15 large-scale oral history-based community plays, focusing on, for example, steel workers, miners, railway workers or communities that have virtually disappeared (such as the West End of Derby).
2018-’19 I was the National Life Stories Goodison Fellow, writing Miriam, a stage play dealing with attitudes towards presentation of the Holocaust, taking as its starting point the Holocaust testimonies held at the British Library. I have also worked extensively as a playwright/ scriptwriter for non-oral history-based theatre, radio and television, and have written 2 books on scriptwriting. I am at present Chair of the OHS Environment and Climate Change Special Interest Group.
