Cataloging Individual Oral History Interviews

Susan C. WynneOLAC ConferenceMacon, Georgia16 October 2010

Outline

•Definition and importance of oral history•Summary of cataloging issues from 2007

survey of Georgia academic libraries•Description of CSU project•Cataloging decisions/considerations •Creating MARC records for individual

interviews•Exercise

What is oral history?

“The process of deliberately eliciting and preserving, usually in audio or audio and visual recording media, a

person’s spoken recollections of events and experiences based on

first-hand knowledge.”

Oral History Cataloging Manual

Another definition

“A process of collecting, usually by means of a tape-recorded interview,

recollections,accounts, and personal experience

narratives of individuals for the purpose of expanding the historical record of a

place, event, person, or cultural group.”

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

And another…

“Oral history is the recording, preservation and interpretation of

historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the

speaker.”

Wikipedia, 23 August 2010.

Oral history interview

•Covers subject(s) of historical interest•Conducted by an interviewer who has

some understanding of the subject(s)•Knowledgeable interviewee•Interactive•Question and answer format•Intended to be available to researchers

Oral history project

“Series of oral history interviews focused on documenting a topic, theme, era,

place, organization, event, or group of people, conducted according to a plan,

usually under the auspices of an institution or a group of cooperating

institutions.”

OHCM

Oral history collection“Oral history materials from various

interviews not associated with an oral history project, usually assembled at some time after their creation by an

individual collector, or by a repository for convenience in management or

description. A collection, like an oral history project, often has an identifiable

theme or focus.”

OHCM

Why is oral history important?• Fills gaps in the historical record• Supplements and aids in understanding the

historical record• Often preserves viewpoints or experiences of

underrepresented groups• May document everyday life or give behind-

the-scenes perspective on a well known event, person, organization, etc.

• Connects personal experiences with history and social context

• Catalogers may be shifting local expertise to unique or hidden collections

Why are oral histories difficult to catalog?•Lack of consensus in access methods•Standard manual needs updating•“Neither fish nor fowl” … are they more like

archival or published materials?•Multiple formats•Names and organizations often require some

authority work•Often no dedicated staff or funding for

managing access to oral histories•May be little or no accompanying information

Choice of cataloging methods

•MARC records in local catalog and/or WorldCat

•Finding aids (online and/or print)•Inventory•In-house•Digital library•Non-MARC metadata (e.g., Dublin Core)

Benefits of the MARC approach

•No need to consult a separate resource to discover oral history materials

•Navigate between oral histories and other types of material on the same subjects

•Contributing to WorldCat is one way to share beyond the local institution

•Less of a learning curve if staff are already familiar with MARC

Grimsley and Wynne’s 2007 survey•31 Georgia academic institutions•Access issues related to oral histories•Methods of intellectual access vary•Respondents held variety of formats•Only one respondent (CSU) reported

using OHCM•Few respondents reported applying

authority control to subjects and names related to oral histories [caveat]

Methods of intellectual access in GA academic libraries

Full M

ARC

Brief M

ARC

MARC in

OCLC

Prin

t Fin

ding

Aid

Web

Fin

ding

Aid

Non

e

Oth

er0

2

4

6

8

10

SmallMediumLargeTotal

Cataloging standards/proceduresStandard/procedure

Oral History Cataloging Manual 1

Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed. (AACR2)

6

Archives, Personal Papers, and Manuscripts (APPM)

0

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) 3

Dublin Core 0

Other Metadata 1

Local Procedures 4

Other 1

No Answer 8

Columbus State University’s project (or, How did I get myself into this?)

• Project initiated by former archivist Reagan Grimsley

• ~500 oral histories lacking intellectual access except for rudimentary in-house finding aid

• Many typescripts and analog recordings from the 1970s and 1980s

• Collaboration between archivist and cataloger• New acquisitions and cataloging policies• Grant to digitize selected typescripts• Collective finding aids and MARC records for

selected individual interviews

CSU’s workflow•Archives staff copy typescript onto acid-free

paper and create artificial title page for each typescript

•Periodicals Assistant prepares photocopied typescript for binding

•Cataloger creates MARC record using OCLC Connexion Client, exports record from OCLC into ILS, and creates holdings (for copied typescripts only)

•Cataloging Assistant creates item record and performs minimal physical processing on bound typescript

Cataloging considerations (top-level)

•Staffing•Priority level•Size of collection/backlog•Transcripts

Cataloging considerations

•Unit of description•Format(s) to be described (especially

which format(s) are available for use)•“Readily available” information•Level of authority control•Classification•Choice of cataloging method (not

discussed in depth here)

Unit of description

•Collection level•Project level•Individual

Collective vs. individual descriptions

Collective (Project or Collection Level)

Individual (Item level)

• Required according to OHCM• Oral histories typically

collected in groups• Consistent with archival

principle of provenance• Demonstrates shared focus

and characteristics within the group

• Useful when interviews are more meaningful as a group

• No need to repeat information in multiple individual records

• Optional according to OHCM

• More granular access• More time-consuming• Need a mechanism for

demonstrating relationships

• Useful when interviews may be able to stand alone

• Useful when information about the collection/project is scarce

You can always do both and link from one to the

other

Formats to be described

•Rule: describe the format(s) available for use

•Optionally, also describe original recordings

“Readily available” information

•Which pieces of information are most important?

•How much time can you spend in research?

•Consider your users, priorities, staffing, and possibly the context of each interview

Authority control•Contribute records to OCLC authority file

(NACO participants)•Create records in local system (always, or

only in special cases)•Construct AACR2 (or RDA?!) headings but

do not create authority records•Use LCSH or another controlled

vocabulary•Create a specialized vocabulary•Uncontrolled keyword

Classification possibilities

•Biographies•Local history•Subject of the interview (i.e., textile mills,

school desegregation)•Accession number or other local system•Class interviews in a project together•Others?

Crash course in oral histories for catalogers•Context is more important•Less emphasis on transcribing

information from the item into the record—most information is provided by the cataloger

•Obtain information from the typescript and/or recording itself, finding aids, release forms, labels, and any accompanying material

•External reference sources can be helpful and sometimes necessary (to clarify names, events, locations, etc.)

•Copious notes

OHCM’s fundamental elements for individual interviews

• Indication of form (i.e., oral history interview)• Name(s) of interviewee(s)• Date(s) of interview• Statement of quantity or extent, including

physical format• Name(s) of interviewer(s)

OHCM’s fundamental elements for individual interviews

• Language of interview, if other than English• Summary of the nature, content, and

scope of the interview• Restrictions on access and/or use, if

applicable• Name of the project or collection, if

applicable

If any of these fundamental elements is not available, state in a note that it is missing

2-minute version of this presentation

•Who … interviewee(s) & biographical sketch, interviewer(s), persons or groups that are subjects of the interview

•What … oral history interview, format(s)•When … date(s) involved, time periods

discussed•Where … place(s) discussed in interview,

location of interview•Why … project or collection name,

subjects discussed, summary

Walk through a MARC record for an individual interview

Type code (Leader/06)

Varies according to the format(s) you are describing

•p (mixed materials) for multiple formats•i (nonmusical sound recording) for audio

only•g (projected media) for video only•t (manuscript language material) for

unpublished typescript/transcript only

BLvl code

•Depends on unit of description•Cannot use BLvl “m” with mixed materials

workform•Use “c” with mixed materials workform or

for collective description•Use “m” when describing one format only

Other fixed fields

•Country code = xxu (unpublished, United States)

•Add 006 for each format as needed•Add 007 for each format as needed•Ctrl = a (archival control)•DtSt = usually s (single date) for

individual interviews, could be i (inclusive dates) for interviews, projects, or collections spanning different dates

006 and 007 examples

006 for typescript: t 000 0

006 for sound recording: innn t

007 for sound recording (standard cassette):

s $b s $d l $e u $f n $g j $h l $i c $j u $k p $l n $m u $n e

Main entry (MARC 1XX or 245)

•Interviewee (MARC 100)•If multiple interviewees, use the

predominant interviewee (or title)•Use relator terms in $e

100 1_ $a Perry, Ophelia S., $e interviewee.

Title (MARC 245)•Form element•Name(s) element•Date(s) element• GMD not used unless describing only one

format: electronic resource, microform, sound recording, or videorecording

245 10 $a Oral history interview with Ophelia S. Perry, $f 1988 Feb. 23.

Statement of responsibility (MARC 245 $c)• OHCM omits statement of responsibility• Rule: give responsibility information in

notes• CSU decided to add SOR:

/ $c conducted by Harvey Phelps.

Edition statement (MARC 250)

•Do not give an edition statement•If the interview exists in multiple versions

(e.g., edited transcript), give this information in a note

500 $a Transcript heavily edited.

Publication information (MARC 260)

•Do not provide a publication statement for unpublished oral histories

•Date appears in 245 $f

Physical description (MARC 300)• Describe formats available for use (optionally,

may also describe original format)• Multiple MARC 300 fields if applicable• Use $3 with multiple 300 fields to specify the

material• Required: specific material designation and

number of units• Optional: playing time, type of recording

(analog or digital), playing speed, dimensions• Playing time is usually not readily available for

CSU’s holdings

Physical description examples

300 __ $3 Typescript: $a 13 leaves, bound ; $c 29 cm.

300 __ $3 Sound recording: $a 1 sound cassette : $b analog.

Series statements

•OHCM: Concept of series does not apply to oral histories

•CSU uses series statements as one means to collocate projects and collections in the absence of collective descriptions

•CSU also collocates the entire oral history collection with a series statement

Series statement examples

830 _0 $a Mill worker oral history collection

830 _0 $a Columbus State University oral history collection

Minimum required notes in OHCM•Interview details (MARC 518)•Scope/content/abstract (MARC 520)

Interview details (MARC 518)Required:Date(s) of interviewName of interviewerLanguage (if other than English)Optional:Location of interviewNames of any other persons presentSponsorship (if applicable)Any other circumstances surrounding the

interview

Interview details example

518 __ $a Interview conducted by Harvey Phelps in Columbus, Ga., for the Mill Worker Oral History Project, 23 February 1988.

Scope/Content/Abstract (MARC 520)

•Topics, conditions, issues, etc.•Events, activities, etc. •Places or geographic areas•People•Organizations•Time periods•Opinions/attitudes of interviewee•Summary of stories/anecdotes

Scope/content/abstract example

520 __ $a Ophelia Perry discusses working conditions, wages, labor-management relations, race relations, benefits, and women’s jobs, in the Bibb Manufacturing Company mill during World War II through the 1970s.

Biographical information about interviewee (MARC 545)

•Birthplace•Education•Race, ethnicity, nationality•Family information•Occupation(s)•Political/religious/other affiliations•Accomplishments•Other…

Biographical sketch example

545 __ $a Ophelia Perry, who was born in Harris County, Ga. and moved to Columbus, Ga., during the Depression, worked in the Bibb Manufacturing Company mill from 1940 to the 1970s.

Other notes

•Additional physical form available (MARC 530) for digitized typescripts

•Restrictions on access (MARC 506)•Terms for use and reproduction (MARC

540)•Reproduction, if applicable (MARC 533)

Other notes•Location of originals or duplicates (MARC 535)•Provenance (MARC 561)• Immediate source of acquisition (MARC 541)•Finding aids (MARC 555)•Citation (MARC 510)—refer to other works

that index, describe, cite, etc. the interview(s)•Preferred form of citation (MARC 524)—of the

interview(s) themselves•Publications (MARC 581)—cite works based on

the interview(s)

Other notes

•Supplementary materials•Relationships to other materials•Missing information•Transcripts—versions, editing, etc.•Any other information deemed important

not covered by other notesSound recording is housed in the

Manuscript Collection at call no. MC 109.

Notes examples506 __ $a Available for use only in the

Columbus State University Archives Reading Room.

540 __ $a Permission to publish material from the Columbus State University Oral History Collection must be obtained from the Columbus State University Archives.

555 0_ $a Finding aid available in the Columbus State University Archives and online.

Notes examples

541 1_ $c Gift; $a John Smith, $b Columbus State University History Department, $d 1988.

524 __ $a Oral history interview with Ophelia S. Perry, 1988 Feb. 23, Columbus State University Archives, Columbus, Georgia.

(524 __ $a [Title of interview], [date of interview], Columbus State University Archives, Columbus, Georgia.)

Access points for individual interviews

•Additional interviewees other than the main entry—use relator term $e interviewee (MARC 700)

• Interviewer(s)—use relator term $e interviewer (MARC 700)

•Name of the oral history project (MARC 710)•Any corporate bodies associated with the

interview, project, or collection (MARC 710)•Alternate titles (e.g., title supplied by the

interviewer or transcriber) (MARC 246)

Access points examples

700 1_ $a Phelps, Harvey, $e interviewer.

710 2_ $a Mill Worker Oral History Project.

246 1_ $i Caption title on typescript: $a Beeler Haines interview

Subject access• Not covered by OHCM, AACR2, DACS … will be

covered in RDA later?• Name of interviewee(s) with $v Interviews. (MARC

600)• Names of other people that are prominent subjects

of the interview• Organizations or corporate bodies that are

prominent subjects in the interview (MARC 610)• Geographic headings for places discussed (MARC

651)• Topical headings for subjects discussed (MARC 650)• Classes of people or ethnic groups, as applicable• Title or name-title entries for named works that are

subjects of the interview

Subject access

•LCSH may not be specific enough for specialized collections

•Subject-specific thesaurus•Locally developed thesaurus

Subject access examples600 10 $a Perry, Ophelia S. $v Interviews. 610 20 $a Bibb Manufacturing Company $x History.610 20 $a Bibb Manufacturing Company $x

Employees.650 _0 $a Cotton textile industry $z Georgia $z

Bibb City $x History.650 _0 $a Women textile workers $z Georgia $z

Bibb City $v Interviews.650 _0 $a African Americans $z Georgia $z Bibb

City $v Interviews.651 _0 $a Bibb City (Ga.) $x History $y 20th

century.

Genre/form access

•Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials 655 _7 Oral histories. $2 lcgft (practice to be implemented late 2010/early 2011?)

•Art & Architecture Thesaurus655 _7 Oral histories. $2 aat655 _7 Transcripts. $2 aat

Links to online content, when applicable (MARC 856)•Digital version of typescript, audio, video,

etc.

856 41 $3 Typescript $u http://archives.colstate.edu/oral_history/OpheliaPerry-OralHistory.pdf

• Finding aid(s)

856 42 $3 Finding aid $u http://archives.colstate.edu/findingaids/mc109.php

Linking collective and individual descriptions (MARC 773)•Only if creating BOTH collective and

individual description•Use “Forms part of”•Give project or collection title (created

according to guidelines for project or collection titles)

773 08 $i Forms part of: $a Mill Worker Oral History Project.

Record examples

•Connexion browser http://connexion.oclc.org/

•CSU catalog https://gil.colstate.edu/

Exercise

•Frank Brown interview

Were rules meant to be broken?•Do consider the unique needs of your users

and your collections (and your staffing/workflow)

•MARC records unlikely to be used for traditional copy cataloging, but…

•You may be crosswalking them into non-MARC metadata

•… which may be harvested by other institutions

•… and repackaged in unexpected ways•How does your data look outside the catalog,

and outside of your institution? (“On a horse”)

Advice•Standardize what you can (title format,

006/007/300 for common format(s), selected notes, genre/form headings, etc.)

•Use constant data, templates, macros, text strings, etc. when you can

•Document decisions—choice of thesaurus or classification scheme, deviations from guidelines, etc.

•Provide context in notes

Collaboration between catalogers, archivists, oral historians

“All my investigations point to the information gap between the creators of

oral histories and those who care for them. The need for standards, best practices,

and a spirit of collaboration is essential … to ensure that the work of oral historians is preserved as part of our cultural heritage.”

--Nancy MacKay, Curating Oral Histories: From Interview to Archive (Walnut Creek, Calif.: Left Coast Press, 2007), preface.

Awareness of non-cataloging issues (which may affect cataloging)•Ownership •Consent forms•Preservation•Format refreshment or transfer•Restrictions on access•Transcription•Technology•Acquisitions and collecting policies

Information forms•Names of interviewee(s) and interviewer(s)•Date(s) and location(s) of interview•Summary of content•Biographical information about interviewee•Subject keywords or places, topics, events,

etc. discussed•Name of oral history project, program, etc.•Sponsoring institution•Access restrictions•Playing time of recordings

RDA and oral histories?•Glossary and 6.9.1.3 Recording content

type•Content (MARC 336), Media (MARC 337),

Carrier (MARC 338) •Content type “spoken word” includes oral

histories•Relationships•Interviewee and interviewer are

relationship designators for creators (work-level relationship)

Questions?

Contact me

Susan WynneUniversity of Wyoming307-766-2433swynne@uwyo.edu