Successful Outreach Methods for Oral History Archives

Archivists have long utilized oral history collections to address archival gaps that the paper records could not fill. New generations of memory workers have prioritized preserving the oral traditions of historically marginalized communities. This has resulted in outreach efforts that aim to establish trust with the communities represented in the archives. This study analyzes the Oral History Lab at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, the Community Oral History Project at the New York Public Library, and Wolf Tales at North Carolina State University as three case studies of oral history archives that have implemented successful outreach methods. This analysis addresses the history of archivist presence in oral history, how to build trust with communities, and ways I may implement these successful outreach methods in my work as an archivist and graduate assistant of the UNC Story Archive in Wilson Special Collections Library, a recently established oral history collection.