Informal oral history project

[sortaottery]

I have some leave coming up, and thought it would be nice to record some conversations with my mum, based on looking at some old family photos. She has huge knowledge of the family history on her side and enjoys talking about it, while I can never keep the Dots and the Dorises separate.

I have a low budget, an Android phone, and good computer skills.

Has anyone here done anything similar? What equipment did you use?

Also, are there any archives or national or local organisations who are interested in collecting this kind of recorded material? No matter if not.

Write everything down, and don't wait until you've finished to start putting the information into.some sort of order. It is very easy to get these things mixed up. O would approach it rather like an important school project. The equipment you have will be fine, although an inexpensive tablet would probably.be helpful.

Many towns have archives that are available to access freely which allow you to search for information and there are large resources for local history in local libraries.

Good luck with it all OP, it sounds fascinating.

Thanks, @Sosickofarrogance!

Have a look at the Oral History Society website. They should be able to tell you if anyone is archiving stuff for your local area. Lots of tips as well
https://ohs.org.uk/

I've worked on an oral history programme. Prep beforehand but also allow her to reminisce. Choose a good quiet place for recording. We once had an interview destroyed by heavy rain in a conservatory.

https://ohs.org.uk/for-family-historians/

Oh no! That must have been so frustrating.

Thanks for the advice.

This is such a good idea OP. I so wish I'd done this with my mum before she died. She did a wonderful thing though and wrote the names of all the people on the back of all her photographs...I just wish I'd asked more about them when she was alive.

🌸I feel the same about my dad, SeaAndStars; though he tended not to speak much about his family (too sad to talk, I think, because he was the only one left of his near relations except for some family who'd migrated far away), I think with some careful prompting, he could have shared a lot. Will never know now.