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[ Before the interview] [ At the interview site] [Conducting the interview] [ Tips for interviewers ] [ Finishing up ] [ Photos and papers ] [Contacts] Download free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Follow this link for a printable .PDF version.

Before the interview

• Prepare. Know as much as you can. Interviewers should have a basic knowledge of the war they are covering in the interviews as well as the general time period in which the activities took place.
• Confirm your appointment time and place for interview within a day or two of the appointment.

Terms used: Narrator – the person who is being interviewed and is telling his or her story. Interviewer – the person conducting the interview and asking the questions.

At the interview site.

• Establish a conversation with the narrator when setting up for the interview; indicate your appreciation for her/his willingness to participate in the project.
  • Discuss the project and answer questions
  • Explain the procedures you will be following; how long the tape will run, that it will need to be turned over, etc.
    
  • Explain how the interview will be used, that you will be asking for a gift agreement to permit others to listen to and use information from the interview.
    
  • If you will be taking a picture (before or after the interview), explain that you want to take the narrator's picture and ask for permission to do so.
    
• Physical set-up. Most interviews will be taking place in the narrator's home. The setting should be comfortable and as free as possible from distractions or interruptions. Recorders pick up noises that many of us miss, including motors (such as refrigerators) and flourescent lights. Kitchens are often a problem for this reason. Also watch for any tapping sounds, barking dogs, and other sounds that may be a problem when listening to the tape. If possible, interview the narrator one-on-one to avoid interruptions, extraneous comments, or inhibitions caused by other people in the room.
  
• Test the recorder and microphone for the correct sound levels. The important sound level is that of the narrator.
  
• Run off one minute of blank tape at the beginning of side "A." This will be used to record an introduction after the interview is complete (generally done after you return home or to your office.) Label the tape with the narrator's name, interview date, tape number (e.g., tape 1 of 2), and side (side A is always the beginning of the interview).

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Conducting the interview. Conduct the interview, trying to keep the length within the amount of time promised, generally one hour. Wait until the first interview is complete before determining if there is a need for additional interviews.

• Although each interview will be different, some standard information should be included at the beginning of each interview. Certain things should be asked for the record, to easily identify the tape, and to provide a graceful beginning to the interview. Many narrators (and interviewers) will be a little nervous to begin, and personal biographical questions provide a smooth start and necessary information. We recommend that the questions not be written out word-for-word, but rather as points or topics to cover. For example, the points below simply say "full name" rather than writing out "what is your full name?" Some key points every interview should cover are:
  
  
• Full name (named for someone?)
• When/where born
• Parents' names and occupations
• Where/when were parents born
• Other family members (e.g., siblings, grandparents, others)
  
  
• Military service – when covering military service, some standard points to cover are:
  
  
  • When entered (and from where)
  • Draft or volunteer
  • Attitude
  • Where stationed
  • Branch and unit
  • Job duties
  • Chronology of service (what did you do when, where)
  • Overseas service
  • Action
  • Effect of war's end
  • Homecoming
  • How had North Dakota changed
  
  
  
• Establish basic information when doing an interview.
  
  
  • Dates or chronology: when did an event happen; did it happen before or after another event?
  • Spellings, particularly of persons' names, should be checked, either while recording or by making notes and checking after the interview. Clarify sound-alike names of either persons or places.
  • Visual items should be identified. If you are looking at a photograph or map that is key to the narration, number it and describe it in the interview so that anyone listening to the interview would understand what you were discussing. The original interview tape will go to the State Historical Society of North Dakota where it will be copied and a file maintained on the interview. A copy of the tape will remain at the North Dakota Heritage Center for research use and other copies may be available for study or other educational purposes. Copies may be deposited with the Library of Congress or other research centers. If funding is available, individual interviews may be indexed or transcribed. Any supporting material, including photographs or personal papers, will be filed as part of the collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

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Finishing up.

• Wrap up the interview by again expressing appreciation for the narrator's willingness to participate in the project. If there is a need for an additional interview, attempt to schedule or indicate that you will be contacting him/her soon to schedule.
• If complete, explain the gift agreement and obtain signature.
• Answer any other questions.
• Label each cassette with the following information: LastName, FirstName – MM/DD/YY – Tape 1 of 1 (or 2) The first side of each tape is "A". If the "A" and "B" sides are not already labeled, add this information as well.
• Place the same information (name, date, tape number) on the cassette case label, as well as the name of the interviewer. Note any blank sides.
• After arriving back at your office/home, immediately tape an introduction to the interview on the blank first minute. Time your introduction so that it is no more than 45 seconds in length. A sample introduction: "This is (your name), interviewing (narrator's name), at (e.g., his/her home at 1234 4th Street North in Bismarck, North Dakota). The date is _____. The interview began at approximately ___ a.m./p.m. and lasted about ___ minutes. The topic of the interview was ____." Such an introduction will normally take from 30-45 seconds if spoken slowly.
• Break out the tabs on the cassette to prevent recording over the completed interview.
• Complete the "oral history collection data sheet."
• We recommend that the interviewer write a note to the narrator upon completion of the interview(s) thanking the narrator for participating.
• The interviewer should listen to the taped interview, check the quality, make notes on the interview, write out personal and place names for better recognition, and note highlights. The reverse side of the oral history collection data sheet has a place for this information.

Photos and papers. As a part of this project, we are interested in collecting relevant papers and photographs if the narrator wishes to donate them to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Of particular interest are diaries, letters, and photos of the narrator in uniform or in some activity while in the service. If the narrator wishes to donate these items, they should be described on the gift agreement. Key points regarding potential donations of papers and photographs.

• While we may copy photographs in some circumstances, we will accept only original materials, not copies from an office copier.
• Materials must relate to the narrator's military service. For materials of historical interest that are not related to the narrator's military service, please contact the State Historical Society of North Dakota directly.
• Do not accept publications. These may already be in the Society collections.
• Do not accept artifacts (three-dimensional objects), including any souvenirs collected by the narrator. If there are historical objects that the narrator is interested in donating, the State Historical Society of North Dakota would welcome a direct contact.

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Contact:
archives@nd.gov Veterans History Project The State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58505-0830

For papers and photographs, contact:
Lotte Bailey, deputy state archivist
701-328-2668
email: lbailey@nd.gov

For questions relating to objects, contact:
Len Thorson, registrar
701-328-2666
email: lthorson@nd.gov

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Copyright ©2003 State Historical Society of North Dakota. You are free to use information from these pages for any non-commercial purpose. Any use of this information should credit the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Photographs shown on the State Historical Society of North Dakota's web site are taken from the collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and may not be included in any publication, printed or online, without the written permission of the Society.