ABSTRACT
Ownership of the actual interview, though it might be deemed “coauthored,” generally resides with the institution where the recording is archived. An interview is a copyrightable document that requires a release form, in which the interviewee (and sometimes the interviewer) signs over rights to the use of, or copyright to, the interview. The standard practice of using release forms is just one example of professional standards in the field.
Recently, various scholars have pointed out that the combination of folklife, oral history, and history methods suggests a goal other than the reconstruction of the past. References to the conceptions people have of their “tradition” or “heritage” in documentation projects direct attention to the sociopsychological uncovering of constructed identity and cultural memory in oral accounts. The increasingly commonplace terms “public heritage” and “cultural heritage” often imply the use of oral history methods to understand the ways that people narrate their experiences and legacies to give themselves a sense of belonging. Although oral and folk history do not constitute a unified field, a number of organizations draw together practitioners to develop the gathering of oral narrative and discuss its implications. Founded in 1966, the Oral History Association seeks to attract individuals interested in oral history as a way of collecting human memories, and publishes the journal The Oral History Review. The American Folklore Society also has a section devoted to oral history, and the journal of the history section, Folklore Historian, frequently features oral history material.
