Since 2013, the Oral History Association Metadata Task Force (MTF) has developed tools for archivists and other practitioners to describe oral histories in their collections and to make informed metadata choices for legacy and new projects. In this program, the MTF will guide attendees through their metadata assessment toolkit, a process meant to help both new projects set up quickly with descriptive rigor, and offer longstanding projects a structured way to address missing pieces to their metadata puzzles. By the end of the session, attendees will be ready to bring knowledge back to their project teams and institutions.
This program is for anyone working at any stage or in any role in an oral history project’s life cycle, as all practitioners have important questions to answer about what information they need to capture and preserve about their oral histories. The toolkit offers a holistic way of thinking about metadata that moves away from technical lingo and toward a shared understanding of what is useful to know about oral histories: no technical expertise is required for participation!
