ORAL HISTORIES IN GENERAL:

Individual oral histories are memories of a single individual and cannot, by themselves, be the sole source of information about particular historical events. Individual oral histories are like pieces of a colorful mosiac--the full picture can only be seen when the perspectives of many individuals are combined into a meaningful whole.

It is also important to understand that these histories are the personal recollections and opinions of the individuals involved. The oral histories are made availableas a public service because oral histories are a recognized technique for adding "color and context" to more objective accounts. In this regard, we believe they have value as part of a comprehensive approach to historical research.

COPYRIGHT ISSUES:

It should also be noted that copyright law grants copyright of oral histories to the interviewees. Use of the material in an oral history is therefore governed by copyright restrictions. We will only post transcripts for which Uof A has been given a grant of deed to the interview, or which have been released into the public domain. The fact that we have posted the transcript of an interview on this site DOES NOT necessarily mean that it has been released as a public domain document--the specific wording of the grant of deed is controlling.