🔬 Research
Oral History Interview Planner: Narrator Pre Interview, Open Question Guide, Release and Restriction Terms, and Timed Transcript Index for an Archive
Plan an oral history interview the way archives expect: a pre interview summary, a chronological open question guide with follow up probes, a plain language release with restriction options, recording notes, and a timed index and metadata record for the finished recording.
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Prompt
Act as an oral historian who prepares interviews for a community archive, writes open ended question guides that let narrators tell their own story, and delivers recordings with a release, an index, and catalog metadata the archive can accept.
Inputs:
- Project scope and the collecting repository (historical society, library, university archive) with any of its intake requirements: [ProjectAndRepository]
- Narrator background from the pre interview call: life dates, places, roles, topics they want to talk about and topics to avoid: [NarratorBackground]
- Research questions or themes for this collection: [ResearchThemes]
- Recording setup and session length: [RecordingSetup]
- Release terms the repository allows (copyright transfer, Creative Commons, closed until a date, name redaction): [ReleaseOptions]
- A rough transcript or notes with timestamps from the session, if already recorded: [SessionNotes]
- Output format: [Format]
Generate:
1. A pre interview summary from NarratorBackground: a short life timeline and the topics the narrator agreed to cover or asked to skip.
2. A question guide in rough chronological order, tied to ResearchThemes, with open questions ("Tell me about...", "What do you remember about...") and two follow up probes each.
3. A sensitive topics plan: how to approach topics that came up in NarratorBackground, and how to offer the narrator a pause or skip.
4. A recording slate and checklist from RecordingSetup: what to say at the start, room tone, levels check, and session length.
5. A plain language release draft built only from ReleaseOptions, with checkboxes for each restriction option the narrator can choose.
6. A timed index from SessionNotes: segment start times, a short synopsis, keywords, and names and places mentioned.
7. A catalog metadata record (title, narrator, interviewer, date, place, duration, subjects, restrictions, format) for the repository.
8. Follow up items: spellings to confirm, photographs or documents the narrator offered, and a thank you note.
Constraints:
- Do not add facts to the narrator's life story that are not in the inputs.
- Do not draft release terms the repository did not list in ReleaseOptions.
- Respectful, neutral interviewer tone. No em dashes.Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
ProjectAndRepository: "Mill Town Voices" collection for the Lowell area historical society; repository wants WAV 48kHz, signed release, timed index, and Dublin Core style metadata NarratorBackground: Irene Sousa, born 1941 in Lowell, Massachusetts; Portuguese American family; worked at a textile mill 1957 to 1964 as a doffer, then a school cafeteria manager until 2003; wants to talk about the mill, her church festa, and the 1960s mill closures; asked not to discuss her late brother's illness ResearchThemes: daily work in the last textile mills; immigrant neighborhood life; what happened to workers after closures RecordingSetup: her kitchen, lavalier mic plus a backup recorder, about 90 minutes ReleaseOptions: transfer copyright to the society; or license under CC BY-NC; option to restrict access until a chosen year; option to redact names of living people SessionNotes: 00:00 slate; 03:10 childhood on Central Street; 14:45 first day at the mill at 16, noise and lint; 31:20 the Holy Ghost festa and the parade; 52:05 rumors of the mill closing, union meeting; 68:40 cafeteria job and training; 84:30 advice to young people Format: summary, guide, sensitive plan, slate, release, index, metadata, follow up
Example Output
1) PRE INTERVIEW SUMMARY - 1941: born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Portuguese American family - 1957 to 1964: doffer at a textile mill - After the mill: school cafeteria manager until 2003 - Wants to cover: the mill, the church festa, 1960s closures - Skip: her late brother's illness 2) QUESTION GUIDE Childhood - Tell me about the street you grew up on. Probes: Who lived next door? What language did you speak at home? Mill work - What do you remember about your first day at the mill? Probes: What did a doffer do, hour by hour? What did the room sound and smell like? - Tell me about the people you worked beside. Probes: Who trained you? Where did you eat lunch? Neighborhood and festa - Tell me about the festa when you were young. Probes: What was your family's part in it? How has it changed? Closures - When did you first hear the mill might close? Probes: What did people say at the union meeting? What did coworkers do next? After the mill - How did you come to work in the school cafeteria? Probes: What did the mill prepare you for? What did it not? 3) SENSITIVE TOPICS PLAN - Do not raise her brother. If she mentions him, listen, then ask "Would you like to keep going or move on?" - Before closures, say she can pause the recorder at any time. 4) SLATE AND CHECKLIST Slate: "This is [Interviewer] interviewing Irene Sousa for Mill Town Voices, Lowell area historical society, on [date], at her home in Lowell." - 30 seconds of room tone, fridge unplugged if she agrees - Levels check on lavalier and backup - WAV 48kHz; break near 45 minutes 5) RELEASE DRAFT (plain language) I agree that my interview recorded on [date] may be kept by the Lowell area historical society. Please check one: [ ] I transfer copyright to the society. [ ] I keep copyright and license the interview under CC BY-NC. Optional: [ ] Restrict public access until the year [____]. [ ] Redact names of living people I mention. Narrator signature / date. Interviewer signature / date. 6) TIMED INDEX | Start | Synopsis | Keywords | | 00:00 | Slate | | | 03:10 | Childhood on Central Street | Portuguese Americans, Central Street, family | | 14:45 | First day at the mill at 16; noise and lint | textile mill, doffer, working conditions | | 31:20 | Holy Ghost festa and parade | festa, church, parade | | 52:05 | Closure rumors and union meeting | mill closures, union | | 68:40 | Cafeteria job and training | school cafeteria, career change | | 84:30 | Advice to young people | reflections | 7) METADATA - Title: Oral history interview with Irene Sousa - Narrator: Sousa, Irene, 1941- - Interviewer: [Interviewer] - Date: [date]; Place: Lowell, Massachusetts - Duration: about 90 minutes [confirm from file] - Subjects: Textile industry; Portuguese Americans; Plant shutdowns; Festivals - Rights: per signed release - Format: audio/wav, 48kHz 8) FOLLOW UP - Confirm spelling of the mill name and church name - Ask about the festa photographs she mentioned - Send thank you note and a copy of the index