ABSTRACT
Curators are the essential intermediaries between the creators and the consumers of oral history. The topical approach for the student requires subject analysis by the interviewer and conversion of subject terms to a controlled vocabulary by the cataloger for maximum findability. Materials should maintain these aspects of findability and accessibility with optimum integrity and reliability across time, locations, platforms, systems, and changes in technology and ownership A great deal of attention is given to user behavior in our consumer-driven world, and the field of market research has developed around finding ways to attract users to products and services. Information scientists develop user profiles as an early step in designing information retrieval systems. Access refers to the availability of desired resources to a community of users. The first Core Value of the Society of American Archivists states, 'Archivists promote and provide the widest possible accessibility of materials, consistent with any mandatory access restrictions.
