Library Guides: Oral History: Oral History Collections at Western

Western Libraries Special Collections

Contact Special Collections to find out more about oral history collections, including:

Special Collections Oral History Program
Initiated in 2003, this program has generated interviews with former faculty members, administrators, staff, and alumni of Western Washington University, including attendees of the Campus School. Select interview transcripts available online.
Special Collections' Fly-Fishing Collection - Oral Histories
This collection comprises transcripts of interviews with fly fishers in the Pacific Northwest. Persons interviewed discuss fly-tying, favorite locations, and memorable experiences.
PoetryCHaT Oral History Collection
The PoetryCHaT Oral History Collection includes poets, illustrators, publishers, and scholars of poetry for children and teens. These oral histories are part of The Children & Teen Poetry Collection (PoetryCHaT) which includes rare and historic items, circulating materials, and curricular resources.

Formats

Oral histories may be recorded and stored using a wide variety of media and formats, including magnetic reel-to-reel tape, audio or mini-audio cassette, mini-discs, CD, DVD, mp3 and WAV files. In some cases, Heritage Resources staff may have to make special arrangements for equipment to access audio/audio-visual recordings.

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies

A substantial number of CPNWS collections contain oral histories, interviews and/or audio recordings. In addition to the suggested collections listed below, contact us, or try searching the CPNWS website for "interviews," "audio" recordings or other keywords relating to your research interests.

Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records
Biery (Galen) Papers
Bovee (Robert C.) oral history interviews
Buswell (Howard) Papers
Griffin (Brian L.) audio-visual materials on Whatcom County
Northwest Tribal Oral History interviews
Pulp Friction: Former Georgia-Pacific Employee interviews
Skagit County Oral History Project records
Microfilm copies of oral history transcripts. Interviews were conducted between 1962-1979 by the Skagit County Historical Society with local residents and concern numerous topics such as social life, historical change, politics, agriculture, fishing, and timber. Index available at CPNWS.
Southeast Washington oral histories
Wahl (Ralph) Fly-Fishing Papers and Photographs
Washington Women's Heritage Project Records
Waterfront Oral History Project Records
Wells, Oliver N. oral history interviews
Western Washington University Centennial Oral Histories
Western Washington University's "The Great Depression and Its 50 Year Shadow" Symposium Records
Whatcom County Homemade Music Society oral histories
Whatcom Memories Project
Women in the Commercial Fishing Industry Research Collection