Initial contact with the interviewee should be via email or phone explaining the goals of the project, briefly describing the reasons for asking the interviewee to participate, introducing the person who will be doing the interview and giving a timeframe for the interview. Also include how the oral history will be conducted, accessed and preserved.
Here is a template you can use:
Dear [Name of Potential Narrator/Interviewee]:
My name is [Your Name], and I am [brief description of yourself] taking the Race & Oral History course this quarter with [instructor’s name] at the University of California San Diego. Through this course, I am also working with the [community organization] who referred me to you. I am reaching out because we would like to talk to you about your experiences with/about [topic].
The interviews will be conducted in May 2021 over Zoom. Once completed, interviewees will be provided with the recording and transcript of the interview, which will also be made accessible on the Race & Oral History website https://knit.ucsd.edu/rohp and preserved in the Library’s Digital Collections website. Your history and perspective will make an invaluable contribution.
If you are interested in participating in the project, we can arrange a convenient time to talk about the project, get to know more about each other, and plan for the interview.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Tailor it to your circumstances, like in this example:
Hello __________, My name is _____ and I am currently a student at UCSD taking Professor Yen Espiritu's Ethnic Studies class on the Race & Oral History project in San Diego. Through this class, I am also working with the American Friends Service Committee who referred me to you. I am reaching out because we would like to talk to you about your experience as an artist participating in the mural de Anastasio Hernández Rojas. If you are interested in participating in the project, I will be the one conducting your interview and I would like to introduce myself. I was born and raised in San Diego particularly City Heights and I am very familiar with Chicano Park. I am a first-generation college student and this is my fourth year at UC San Diego where I am studying Cognitive Science and Ethnic Studies. I am very excited to work on this project because Chicano Park has a special place in my heart. The interviews will be conducted in May 2020 over Zoom. Once completed, interviewees will be provided with the recording and transcript of the interview, which will also be made accessible on the Race & Oral History website https://knit.ucsd.edu/rohp and preserved in the Library’s Digital Collections website. Your history and perspective will make an invaluable contribution. Please let me know if you would like to talk beforehand so we can familiarize ourselves before the interview. With that said, I would also like to know what time and dates work best for you. Thank you for your time and take care, ______________
