This week I finished reading the Ritchie book, reviewed the Oral History Association website, and began searching through possible grant opportunities. What I have learned so far is that while funding for oral history projects is available it is dependent very largely on those project under consideration being very well defined and including plans for funding without grants and commitments of resources. What I am doing presently for the Tulsa Historical Society is, in my estimation, not yet focused enough to qualify.

In fact, I am not sure that the project in which I am engaged is strictly an oral history project at all. My project is becoming more about setting up an environment in which oral history projects can take place. It is focused on technology, cataloging, publicity and more of the “business” of oral histories rather than on oral history itself. This is not all bad and can still qualify for grant funding but I suspect we will have to narrow our initial focus and describe better what it is the Society wants to accomplish with oral histories. My strategy will be to select some of the more realistic grant opportunities and try to tailor specific oral history projects to them in order to provide focus.

My RFP to digitize the analog tapes is taking shape and I have found a few possible vendors that might submit. My Society contact will be back next week for consultation and I am going to also ask the advice of another archives expert too.

On another note, I received an email about the “Oral History for the 21st Century” Symposium that will be held in Oklahoma City in November. I’ll certainly be in attendance and look forward to meeting other oral history folk who will no doubt have much more experience than do I.

So hopefully by next week I will finally have achieved a few milestones including:

1. Completion of the RFP to convert analog tape to digital format

2. Completion of the historical society technology audit and a wish list

3. A list of realistic grant opportunities

Also, as the scope of the project comes into focus and it is clear that grant decisions are not made swiftly, it is likely that I will not complete all deliverables this semester, so I am actively looking for a student to take up this project in Spring 2010.