The oral history interviews conducted by the BOHP team take the form of life-history interviews, in which the interviewer and narrator explore the narrator’s experiences of early childhood, education, career, family life, etc. in the Town of Bethlehem.

Oral history narrators are typically motivated by a desire to share their stories, experiences and the lessons they’ve drawn from them.  These interviews provide an opportunity for people away from the public eye – whose perspectives are often omitted from media, government and other public records – to reflect on the way historical events played out in their lives and on their own roles in shaping Bethlehem’s history.

Interviews are conducted by our BOHP team members, who adhere to the professional guidelines laid out in the Oral History Association’s Principles and Best Practices. They prepare for each interview by conducting broad subject-area research, as well as background research into each narrator. This background research helps them to outline of the topics they hope to cover with the narrator over the course of the interview.

Interviews usually occur on weekdays in the early evening, and generally last about an hour.  Interview lengths may vary, however, based on how much information the narrator would like to share.

Our preferred interview space is Bethlehem Public Library’s studio at 451 Delaware Avenue in Delmar.  It is quiet, climate controlled, well-lit and has reliable audio/video equipment to ensure a high-quality recording. Due to our partnership with BPL we have flexible access to this space and encourage its use wherever possible.  We can also provide transportation to the library upon request.

While we prefer to use the Bethlehem Public Library’s studio for oral history interviews, we do have the ability to accommodate narrators with accessibility and other needs on a case-by-case basis.

There is no special preparation needed. The oral history interview will focus on your own memories and experiences, so you are already the expert. That being said, some interviewees do find it helpful to review photo albums, diaries, their own CVs or resumes, or other historical and biographical material that might help jog their memories before the interview.

You may even choose to make some or all of this material available to the interviewers either before or during the interview session. Copies of images or articles discussed during the course of the interview can also be included as supplemental material in your narrator page on the BOHP website.  In fact, we enthusiastically encourage narrators to bring family photographs, scrapbooks, letters, keepsakes, property deeds and other memorabilia that will help bring their story to life!

We strive to foster an environment where our narrators can comfortably interact with the interviewer.  As a general rule, interviews run more smoothly with minimal attendees present (including well-intentioned family members), unless they too are being interviewed.  Of course, exceptions are made if a family member provides transportation to and from the studio.

As oral historians, our interviewers are accustomed to exploring narrators’ life stories while respecting their privacy and dignity. Throughout the interview, you always have the right to decline to answer any question. We can also discuss with you before the interview what, if any, topics you consider off-limits for the interview.

Our oral histories are meant to reach multiple audiences from a variety of interests and backgrounds, including online audiences.  Our BOHP website is the best vehicle for this mission.  As a standard practice, however, BOHP edits all narrator interviews for clarity and file size, and does not upload entire uncut interviews to the BOHP website. We will, however, endeavor to transcribe the full content of each interview, and these hard copies can be made available to narrators.

Because the mission of BOHP is to make our narratives publicly accessible for historians, educators, researchers and future generations, a BOHP team member will walk narrators through the deed of gift agreement before any interview.  In effect, this agreement allows a narrator to legally donate intellectual property (in this case, their stories) for the benefit of local history and the general public.  The agreement clarifies for both the narrator and BOHP how materials or rights related to the oral history will be managed as part of a donated collection (such as this website) and transferred to the BOHP archive.  It also gives both parties the opportunity to place reasonable conditions on the nature of the interview (off-topic or sensitive subjects, for example).

Email Bill Ketzer, Bethlehem Town Historian, at wketzer@townofbethlehem.org