Charge
The OHA Council has created the Oral History: Law & Ethics Task Force, to address the legal and
ethical dimensions of oral history, including the evolving landscapes of the US and Indigenous Law.
The task force, composed of seven OHA members in good standing–Doug Boyd, Craig Breaden, John
Henry Glover, Jenni Matz, Katherine Scott, Guha Shankar, and Liz Strong–including a chair or
co-chairs, will convene to:
● Identify contemporary and emerging topics in the realms of oral history, law, and ethics,
including Federal and Indigenous law and sovereignty.
● Propose strategies for the OHA to provide sustained assistance to its members concerning
legal and ethical matters. These strategies could encompass meaningful programming,
including workshops, listening sessions, and a summer symposium to support the OHA
community.
● Develop a comprehensive resource guide for those managing legacy collections and
commencing new oral history projects.
● Care of legacy collections, particularly those without clear release or agreement
forms or designated ownership, including Native American collections
● Establishing criteria for archival relationships and custodial agreements, focusing
on various projects’ needs and Indigenous considerations
Timeline
● Month 1: Current subgroup, with Council & EO advice & support, would build the task force,
including chair, co-chair, and primary Council and/or EO liaison.
● Months 2-4: task force holds initial meetings, identifies and divides up tasks into subgroups,
sets project deadlines, and chair and/or co-chair meets w/Council for an update.
● Months 4-7: task force’s work moves from ideation to actualization, including creation of a
document that details the findings from the charge. Submits draft document(s) to Council & EO
for review and comments.
● Month 8: Council reviews the document or documents created and gives feedback
● Month 9: task force revises & resubmits document.
● Month 10: Council & EO reviews, copyedits, & approves. Resources are made available on the
OHA website and promoted through OHA communications channels. Task force disbands.
