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Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 11:50 AM Subject: Access to series of confidential interviews Dear H-Oralhistory subscribers: We have a series of oral history interviews that were conducted in the 1970s for a multi-generational study on the "ethnic experience" of women in Pittsburgh. The archives received the tapes and transcripts from the director of the study. The women released the interviews under the condition of anonymity, and the names are not identified on tapes and transcripts. The participating women released the interviews to the specific study "for such scholarly purpose as the director of the study shall determine" and also released it to our regional historical society. We want to make sure that we follow best practices regarding access to the materials - the women left it up to the director of the study to decide how to use the interviews, and the director donated and released the interviews to our archives. On the basis of the oral history guidelines provided by the OHA to "honor the spirit of the interviewee's agreement," would it be correct for us to make the interviews accessible to researchers today, who are working on different projects, in different contexts, as long as they honor the anonymity of the interviewees and the original context of the study? Or should they be completely restricted, since the women only gave permisison for release in the context of a very specific study and may not have intended to make them accessible to other research projects? I'd be grateful for any thoughts and suggestions. Many thanks. Best wishes, Katja Katja Hering Archival Assistant Rauh Jewish Archives 1212 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222
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