Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Wisconsin Veterans Museum interviews consist of a narrator and an interviewer who have agreed to record a conversation that will be publicly accessible and used as a primary historical source.

We record and collect oral history interviews with Wisconsin-connected veterans, from all branches of service and all eras and conflicts. Every story is an important part of the narrative we tell at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

The majority of the interviews are conducted by WVM staff or trained adult volunteers. We also have interviews in the collection that were donated by individuals or a variety of organizations statewide and across the nation.

WVM holds copyrights to most (but not all) of the interviews in the collection. Education and research use is permitted for all interviews in the collection. Patrons may NOT make copies of the interviews without permission from WVM. Restrictions on other types of use may apply - please contact the WVM Oral Historian with questions.

Online:

• Using Google, search using the person's full name and add the words "oral history interview" This will provide a direct link to the audio/video, transcript, or index, in our interactive media player.
• Using our online collections database , hit the "Archives" tab and type in the person's full name. In the results, click on the name and this will take you to their oral history record that then links to the audio/video interview and transcript/index at the bottom of the page.
• Using WorldCat.org, type in the text box "Oral History Interview with " and the person's full name. In the list of results, click on the appropriate title and this will take you to the WorldCat/OCLC catalog entry. Then click on the "Show more information" tab and click on the "wisvetmuseum.com" in the "More Information" This will take you to the audio/video interview and transcript/index.
• Some transcripts can be found on our Transcripts page, where they are arranged by conflict.

On-Site Access:

By prearranged appointment with the oral historian, patrons may access recordings, transcripts, and other materials that are restricted to building access.

Yes, if the narrator is a Wisconsin-connected veteran, is accompanied by a Wisconsin Veterans Museum Deed of Gift signed by both the narrator and interviewer, a written summary, and interview information sheet. For more information, contact the oral historian

"If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed, please complete the Oral History Interview Request Form. We will respond with some additional information about the program and what to expect from the interview process and we will assign your interview to an interviewer who will then schedule your interview.

Contact the oral historian for details.

Footnote-

Violet Armstrong interview by Luke D. Sprague, September 24, 2019, OH 02172, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Collection, Madison, WI. https://wisvetsmuseum.com/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=OH_02172.xml (accessed October 26, 2020).

Bibliography-

Armstrong, Violet. Interview by Luke D. Sprague. September 24, 2019. Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Collection, Madison, Wisconsin.