This week, the internship had me continuing my process of
going through administrative processes. With the publication of this blog, all
the administrative process should be finished for now. The most exciting
portion of this week stemmed from being able to publish these interviews for
the public to view. I am happy to see that these interviews can now be accessed
and presented out. Next week should see them available as submission takes some
time due to the approval process. Even my own interview will be there for
public research if it ever may be accessed. There is some worry that some of
these interesting or insightful interviews may never be utilized for public
research. It is so hard to determine if in the future a student will recognize
these interviews and understand the weight behind them. Certainly, that
situation has made me look at archived oral histories far more differently such
as the September 11 digital archive.
The weight of these interviews becomes more easier once time
has set in. These interviews carry tragedy and hope of a better future without
being stifled by the fear of a pandemic. I encourage those that read this blog
to investigate these interviews and watch one to see how people coped through
the pandemic. There were so many ways people coped such as playing games,
picking up hobbies, watching shows, and other recreational activities.
The marketing of the interviews has been slightly better
than previous weeks with continued discussion of emailing people previously
interested. Mary had given me a list of people who had already been interested
yet refused to be interviewed. It is disappointing yet understandable with how
some people become spontaneously busy between semesters. However, others have
asked to be interviewed once more which I am ecstatic about. I am still in the
talks with emailing the professors from different colleges within the university,
yet I have not received an answer yet.
During one of our private meetings, Mary provided me with
some feedback with how I am conducting these interviews which has made me
consider implementing them in future ones. One critique was my use of “I assume”
which conveys more of me guiding the interviewer which is not a good thing. I
realized while reading the transcripts how much I say it which made me laugh,
yet also pushing me to tone that down. In addition, another piece of feedback or
discussion was how interviewers fall within two categories: introverted and
extroverted. The introverts are the ones who speak less and answer the question
very fast when interviewed with as little detail as possible. These people are
difficult from the interviewer perspective because you must hone your skill of
trying to bring out their unique perspectives. I will say that the introverts seem
to be the diamond in the rough more often than the extroverts. The extroverts
are the ones who talk for hours on end and provide so many details which can be
helpful. However, the interviewer needs to know when to stop them from talking
their ear off. These skills make oral history more complex than what I previously
subscribed it to be which I am glad to learn.
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