Guide to Oral History Interviews and Qualitative Fieldwork: Example Oral History Projects

Examples of Oral History Projects

Oral history projects provide unique insights into personal experiences, cultural heritage, and historical events. Below are examples from Utah State University (USU) Libraries Special Collections and Archives as well as notable projects beyond USU:

1. Intermountain West LGBTQ+ Oral History Project (USU)

This project documents the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Intermountain West, exploring intersections of class, race, sexuality, gender, faith, and politics.

2. Latino Voices in Cache Valley (USU)

This project collects oral histories from Latino men and women in northern Utah, providing bilingual transcripts (English and Spanish) that highlight the contributions of the Latino community.

3. COVID-19 Oral History Project (USU)

Graduate Fellow Tameron Williams conducted 104 interviews documenting personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including one with USU President Noelle Cockett.

4. OurStoryBridge

A national project that helps communities produce and share short, locally created audio stories (3-5 minutes) online. It includes resources and a toolkit for creating oral history projects focused on community voices.

5. American Folklife Center's Veterans History Project

A Library of Congress initiative to preserve personal accounts of U.S. veterans through oral histories, photographs, and letters.