Oral History Consultant

 

Oral History Consultation and Project Development by James H. Williams, Ph.D.
Jim Williams is available to consult and assist with any aspect of oral history, including:
  • project design
  • project management
  • oral history skills and methods
  • volunteer or staff training
  • oral history project documentation
  • recording management and digitalization

 

 

 

 Oral history projects should not be undertaken lightly or without proper training. After nearly twenty years of conducting oral history interviews, and about fifteen years of coordinating the oral history project for the National Park Service at Harry S Truman National Historic Site in Independence and Grandview, Missouri, Jim Williams is ready to help you at any stage of your organization's oral history project. He has given workshops at Truman NHS and for the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Association. He is a member of the Department of History at Middle Tennessee State University, which has one of the foremost graduate programs in public history and historic preservation.

Jim can assist at any stage of your project and in as limited or as far-reaching capacity as you desire. Fees are based on the amount of time involved in the consultation, travel costs, and other expenses.

For examples of the kinds of work Jim has done at Truman NHS, visit the park's oral history web site. He can also provide examples of oral history project documentation from the Truman project and set up a documentation database for your project.

Jim has also conducted interviews about the history of the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and for the Albert Gore Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. He plans someday to publish an oral history of the Truman family and neighborhoods in Independence and Grandview.

Jim has written grant proposals for a number of aspects of his oral history work and can also consult on fundraising and project development costs.

Contact Jim Williams at jhwillia@mtsu.edu or 615-292-8417.

 
Dr. Williams is also available to develop multimedia neighborhood walking tours, as he is currently doing for the Harry S Truman National Historic Landmark District and National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri. More details later in 2004.