The recent past can be validated by interviewing individuals who had personal experiences during that period. Oral History is the discipline of gathering any person's verbal recollections of their life, of events they have witnessed firsthand or participated in, or of persons they have known.

The main objective of Oral History is the documentation of experiences and recollections regarding people, groups, events, lifestyles and movements for which there is no written record. Illiteracy, exclusion from official records because of economic status, social standing and political oppression are all reasons for a lack of written history.

Oral History is intended to be a complement and not a substitute for existing written records. In fact, a more accurate record of the past can be established only when both verbal recollections and written documentation exist. To a larger extent, interpretation of oral history events relies on the ties between an individual's particular experience and the larger, documented social and historical details of the event. An important element regarding Oral History interviews is the need to realize that an individual's memory is fallible. In order to cross-check the validity of any information offered, it is imperative that oral historians conduct adequate background research prior to any interviews.

To preserve the accuracy and integrity of an interview, a good quality tape recorder and microphone are imperative. Any late-model cassette recorder used in conjunction with an external cardoid or "directional" microphone will insure optimum quality recordings. Use only brand name noise-reduction C-60 or C-90 cassettes which are compatible with the recording device. In order to preclude difficulties with tape jams and breaks, avoid the use of the longer C-120 cassette tapes.

SMI is able to transcribe cassette, reel-to-reel and VHS video/audio tapes, as well as written manuscripts, to concordance referenced printed copy. To afford greater flexibility, transcriptions can also be converted to text-searchable PDF format for distribution on CD or DVD.

SMI follows specific rules and guidelines in the process of transcribing an oral history interview:

• Omission of irrelevant filler words such as “er,” “um,” etc.
• Inclusion of spoken contractions.
• Inclusion of gramatical errors which do not affect context.
• Deletion of all false starts.
• Correction of spelling unless a misspelled word is apparent and relevant to the context.
• Insertion of (unintelligible) if there is a question regarding a word or a sentence.

In order for SMI to produce the best transcript possible, the material submitted to us must be organized in the following manner:

• Tapes must be labeled (for example: Tape 1, Side 1)
• A note should be included with each tape listing the date, time, and location of the interview and the
names of all individuals (interviewer, interviewee, etc.) involved.