Coda: Reading beyond the Pages of the OHR

You have reached the end of this issue of the Oral History Review (OHR) — or have you?! As it turns out, you have not: our editorial work has begun to extend beyond the pages you just finished reading. Much like the clips Marvel sneaks in following the credits in their superhero film franchises, we use these last few pages to let readers know that there are now many more explorations into oral history taking place beyond the pages of the OHR. (Explosions and alien invasions not included.) Since the editorial team launched our multimedia initiative with issue 39.2, readers have had the opportunity — using their online membership — to visit websites, hear audio excerpts from extant oral histories, and even to listen to some blues. In this issue readers can watch student-produced video documentaries and hear multilingual oral histories. As Doug Boyd, OHR’s digital initiative editor, wrote in his guest editor’s introduction to issue 40.1: “I urge the reader not to passively gloss over the hyperlinks while reading. In all cases, the reading experience will be enhanced by following the corresponding hyperlink in the articles. In some instances, the hyperlink represents an integral aspect of the scholarly argument and, thus, is essential to the scholarship.”¹

In addition to experimenting with a more multimedia Review, the editorial team has launched a social media initiative. We collaborated with media and marketing representatives from Oxford University Press (OUP) to formalize mutual goals and strategize how best to consistently engage with the Review’s readership online. Mission in hand, Caitlin took to Facebook and Twitter, posting interesting OHR and Oral History Association (OHA) information at least once a week and tweeting just about every afternoon. Through these efforts we aim to expand the Review’s audience and develop an ongoing discourse among oral historians, not only those who identify as oral historians but also those in folklore, African history, anthropology, and anyone else working with oral histories in some capacity.

Our work with OUP took further shape in October 2012, when we first posted to OUPblog — Oxford’s title for their social media effort, celebrating “academic insights for the thinking world.”² Since then, we have offered biweekly commentary on the discipline of oral history through interviews, book reviews, and updates on oral history projects in progress. Our colleagues at Oxford have rewarded our constant (perhaps incessant) postings by giving us our own subtopic within their History group. This change means that all of our posts now have a landing page at http://blog.oup.com/category/subtopics/oral-history-review/. In keeping with our mission, the first post by Sarah Milligan — valued colleague from the Kentucky Oral History Commission — was titled “Intersections of Sister Fields” and documented the links between oral history and folklore studies. We have since covered everything from the evolution of the online oral history archives to reflections on conducting oral history following a natural disaster. As we continue to accumulate followers and make contact with new peers, we look forward to facilitating greater discussion, both in response to the Review and other points of interest in the oral history field.

As we look to building future issues of the OHR, the team continues to grapple with how to best transition to a more media- and online-friendly Review. As far as the OHR goes, you can expect more multimedia serving an integral role. In regard to our social media initiative, we will continue to use Twitter, Facebook, and even Google Plus to share pertinent information about the Review, OHA, and the wider oral history community. We plan to pursue new social media platforms with which to interact with the fantastic online community of academics and every day scholars. And finally, we are excited to continue our relationship with OUP’s social media team. We especially look forward to our inevitable takeover of the entire OUPblog. We will retag it: All oral history, all the time!