Skip to Main Content

Doing Oral History on a Shoestring

This how-to guide was created to support the 3-hour workshop "Doing Oral History on a Shoestring" taught by Kate Thornhill, UO Libraries, and Chris Petersen, OSU Libraries.

Created by UO Libraries & OSU Libraries

Access

Access to Interviews Can Take On Many Forms

Varying Levels of Access

Paper copies of print transcripts made available through a local library or historical society.
Digital and/or paper materials provided to researchers via an archival repository:
- Access provided via a dedicated archival finding aid and/or digital collection.
- Restrictions on certain types of access can be administered by the archive as well.
Unfettered access enabled by you via upload to an online media host

Do It Yourself Access Options

Here's some DIY options for your to help decide on giving access to your oral history project.

Resource Name	Pros	Cons
Internet Archive	It’s free It’s in keeping with a larger non-profit global initiative to preserve web content Shows up in Google Search results	It cannot be undone Audio and video The interface isn’t the easiest to use
YouTube	It’s free The default platform for many content consumers Familiar to most people Make playlists Dedicated channel Shows up in Google Search results	Video only Potential for ads Potential headaches with comments (though they can be turned off)
Vimeo	It’s free up to a point Make playlists Dedicated channel Shows up in Google Search results Not part of Google, a different 3rd party Usually non-profits and creative communities use it	Video only Potential for ads Potential headaches with comments (though they can be turned off)
SoundCloud	It’s free up to a point Make playlists Dedicated channel Shows up in Google Search results	Audio only Potential headaches with comments (though they can be turned off)

Vimeo vs YouTube for Video Access

Here's some information that can help you choose between Vimeo and YouTube for video streaming and access.

Features	Vimeo	YouTube
Video quality	4K, 8K, HDR support	Up to 8K
Ads	Ad free	Pre-roll and mid-roll ads
Video recording length	Unlimited	15 minutes 12 hours (128 GB) for verified users
Bandwidth	Up to 2TB/month Up to unlimited for Enterprise	Unlimited
Live streaming	Yes	Yes
Analytics dashboard	Yes	Yes
Video library & team folders	Yes	No
Video storage	Up to 500 videos Up to unlimited for Enterprise	Unlimited

We encourage you to talk with Oregon Heritage and Northwest Digital Heritage

Talk to Oregon Heritage & Northwest Digital Heritage if you are a cultural organization looking for access support.

They can help you identify access solutions for your cultural heritage organization
They also have tools for making your oral history collection more findable and more fully described
Here’s what Northwest Digital Heritage can offer - Let’s take a look!

© University of Oregon. All Rights Reserved.