Oral History

Oral History is a unique, but important, component to archiving historical events.  A program of Oral History has many important components and requirements.

Experts must ensure the integrity and durability of the raw materials of oral history in order to facilitate multidimensional research and dissemination of outcomes over time. Historians of oral history are academically and professionally trained and are also skilled technologists. They have many years of experience conducting oral histories with diverse stakeholders, including extensive experience in business and institutional history.

An oral history program provides workshops as well as professional training and consultation in oral history research, archiving, and dissemination. From inception to visualizing engaging outcomes, they work with you to develop skills, establish achievable goals, build technological competencies into your team, create effective workflows, and set realistic timelines and budgets. Whether you wish to conduct a business history project from start to finish, or whether you wish to train in oral history to keep your project in-house, you require a customized oral history project model to fit your business needs.

The CBHA/ACHA has an affiliation with the Oral History Centre (OHC) at the University of Winnipeg.  The OHC can assist with:

  • workshops for corporate archivists, records managers, and business historians in creating, maintaining, and archiving corporate oral history programs
  • up-to-date professional training in legal and privacy aspects of oral history, including Government of Canada ethics certification
  • training in advanced digital recording technologies, innovative digital storage solutions, and proven workflow strategies
  • facilities including classroom space, computer lab, recording studio, and archive

The Oral History Centre is supported by members of the community though OHC Membership renewals, and by significant contributions from donors, including prominent members of the business community who appreciate its commitment to excellence and its growing international reputation. The OHC has advisors from corporate Canada assisting with its development, including Sandy Riley (Winnipeg), Gary Leach (Vancouver), and Joe Martin (Toronto).

More information on the Oral History Centre can be found HERE.