Oral History Collections Processing Guidelines

The Center of Southwest Studies has adopted a standardized scheme for accessing the materials in its collections.  For oral history materials, this involves assigning accession numbers, collection numbers, location numbers and interview numbers for tapes, transcripts and accessory materials, and arranging the products of oral history interviews as explained below.  Cooperation of all staff is important to assure that we establish and maintain proper controls over the Center's holdings.

A.    Numbering schemes.  We use four related oral history numbering systems.

1.         Interview/ Accession numbers : Accession numbers and collection numbers (described in the next section) are the Center's two primary agents of intellectual control.  When batches of oral history release forms are sent up for the Center's director's signature at the conclusion of an interview project, the Archivist assigns a six digit accession number in the following format: YYMM##, each month's numbers beginning with 01, using numbers in accordance with the Center's overall accessioning scheme.  This scheme enables us to create an inventory of donations and of backlogged unprocessed materials.

2.       Collection numbers: The Archivist assigns each oral history project a three-digit collection number preceded by the letter U to denote audiotape (and videotape) materials.  This is because the primary data are contained in an audio medium; i.e., tape recordings of oral history interviews.  Note: in almost all cases, the components of an oral history project collection come in to us from various sources (various interviewees/oral authors) and at different times, so a certain collection may be related to more than one accession number.  Furthermore, it is possible that an accession number will be linked with more than one collection number.  For instance, if part of an accession is photographs copied or donated as a result of an oral history interview experience, the two types of materials will be placed in two separate collections, linked by the accession number.

The collection number is likewise assigned by the archivist.  Our initial oral history collection names and numbers include the following:

U 001                      Fort Lewis College oral histories

U 002                      U.S. Forest Service oral histories

U 003                      Durango oral histories

U 004                      Southwest oral histories {this is our general oral history collection  [for materials that were not part of a specific oral history project; it includes most student interviews, such as those done for classes in the southwest or in oral history}

U 008                      Indian oral history project interviews collection {this was a particular project--not just any interviews with Native Americans}

U 010                      U.S. Forest Service Mancos project oral histories

U 011                      World War II oral histories

U 012                      Southern Ute Tribe oral histories {again, this was a special project}

U 013                      Vallecito Dam Project oral histories {a project pertaining to the Pine River Valley}

3.       Location numbers : Location numbers lead the staff to the physical location of materials at the Center.  See our form SW-26 for details.

4.       Interview numbers: Each interview is assigned the next available number, which is written on side A of each cassette to the left of the left hole, using permanent marker that writes on plastic.  Several tapes may have the same number--if they used during the same single interview (i.e., the same persons, on the same date).  {On the other hand, it is possible that one tape may have two or more numbers, if it contains several different interviews--i.e., interviews on different days, or with different people.  Of course, that is not apt to be a very good oral history interview, being that short.}  When we first assigned numbers in January of 1995, we alphabetically arranged all tapes then on hand (by surname of the oral author, or--in rare cases when there wasn't one significant author, by subject) and gave the interviews numbers starting with 1.

B.    Arrangement schemes:

1.       Folder labeling: Papers relating to a given interviewee/oral author generally are filed together in the same folder.  That folder heading (indented 3½" from the left edge of a legal sized folder) is in the following format:

Surname, then given names of oral author , oral history interview by name of interviewer, year and date(s) of interview(s).

 For example:      Langdon, Charlie, oral history interview by Todd Ellison, 1994 Mar. 1.

Note that we invert the name of the oral author/interviewee, to assist with automated arrangement of the folder titles, but we list the interviewer's name in straight order.

2.       Arrangement of materials within a folder : Please file papers within a given oral history interview folder in this sequence:

• oral history interview abstract (SW-21)

• copy of the oral history release form (SW-06) (three-signed original of this form and any correspondence about the interview(s) and any drafts of the transcript are filed in the collection folder in the archivist's office)

• oral history biographical questionnaire (SW-07)

• transcript of the interview

• accessory papers acquired in relation to the interview (e.g., chronologies, lists of topics, programs, menus of a restaurant owned by a certain oral author, etc.)

3.       Folder filing within a box : If possible, folders within a given oral history collection are filed alphabetically by surname of oral author.  This will not be possible with an ongoing oral history project, in which the folders of interview materials will be filed chronologically in the order received.

4.       Tapes of interviews: As noted in section A.4, a unique number is assigned to each audiocassette tape.  These tapes are all boxed together in numerical order, with the number(s) listed on the upper left of the front of the file folder containing the printed materials relating to that interview.  Videotapes likewise are boxed by themselves, with their own unique number starting with 1 and cross-referenced to the folder of related papers.  To prevent accidental erasure of the tapes, please check that the tabs have been removed from the edge of the cassette (2 tabs on an audiocassette, one on a videotape).

Note: this arrangement and description scheme is a dynamic document; please give the Archivist any suggestions for its improvement.  Thank you.

Page last modified: December 12, 2001