Oral History of the Mid-Atlantic Region, of which I am a member, held its annual conference at the Sumner School in Washington, DC, this week.

A few interesting points of many:

• In a workshop presented by Susan Kraft, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, a reminder that oral history consists not only of recording the interviews but making them accessible to future generations. That means covering your bases with a good deed of gift, as well as organizing and preserving them.
• She also reminded us to minimize the "ums," the "uh-huhs," the natural little expressions that the interviewer can use that are so distracting on tape.
• In a presentation by David Hochfelder from the University of Albany, a distinction between history and heritage when talking about professional societies (or other organizations) compiling oral histories. Both have a place, he noted, but heritage tends to be uncritical and celebratory (think "100th anniversary" type things), while history is warts and all.
• From Sue Hawkins, on an oral history project with scientists in London, a note that the interviews often take surprising turns--about the role of women in science, about childhood during World War II, about dealing with the public. 

Think of something in which you or someone you know was directly involved: living in a post-9/11 world, surviving a job layoff in the Great Recession, the first class in a new school, the last class in an old school, etc. Think oral history!