Access Policies

Oral History Program (OHP) Access Policy

The OHP Board created and adopted the following Access Policy on June 23, 2023.

Accessing Oral Histories

There are different forms of access, and each patron (relative, descendant, or researcher) may be granted multiple forms of access, just one kind of access, or none at all. These decisions are made by OHP and Murphy Library Special Collections/ARC staff on a case-by-case basis following standards set forth by the OHP Board. Transcriptions and recordings in Murphy Library

In-Person Access - Whenever possible, OHP asks that you visit UWL Murphy Library Special Collections/ARC Reading Room (155 Murphy Library) to access materials before making requests for copies.

Online Access - Many OHP interviews are available online through a partnership with UWL Murphy Library Digital Collections. Some interviews, however, cannot be accessed electronically and are only available in-person.

Requesting Copies of Interviews

Most, but not all, interviews are available for duplication. OHP and Murphy Library Special Collections/ARC staff must take into account many considerations that could make an interview unable to be copied for a patron (relative, descendant, or researcher), including, but not limited to:

• Does the interview have a consent or release form on file?
• Is the original audio in good enough condition for duplication?
• Does the length of the interview make it logistically unreasonable?
• Is the interview scheduled for posting on Murphy Library Digital Collections in the near future?
• Did the interviewee apply restrictions to access themselves?
• Do staff have knowledge of potential harm that could be caused to the interviewee or someone discussed in the interview by sharing the audio or transcript?

No-Cost Requests -

• Immediate family members or direct descendants of interviewees. OHP Board defines immediate family and direct descendant as parents, spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of the interviewee.  
• Interviews already in digital format. Requestors seeking interviews that already exist in digital format will be sent a link via email.  
• UW System/Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) Area Research Center (ARC) Network requests. Physical copies of interview recordings (excluding those on magnetic media, like reels and cassette tapes due to their fragility, unless a user copy exists or can be made) and/or transcripts that can be shipped from one UW System ARC campus to another via the ARC Network transfer system will follow the same rules and procedures as all other archival material. Contact specoll@uwlax.edu to learn more. The ARC Network includes 13 of the UW System campuses as well as the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS).  OHP cannot fulfill Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests. 

Fee-Based Requests - Requests that require digitization or making physical copies of materials will be charged a fee based on staff time, interview length, materials, and shipping.

• Example: Making a digital copy of a two-hour analog interview would typically cost about $100.

Contact oralhistory@uwlax.edu if you have any questions about the status of an oral history or would like a cost estimate for a copy of an interview.

More Information on OHP’s Access Policy

The oral history field has evolved to take into account both ethical and legal considerations. The oral histories that OHP and Murphy Library Special Collections/ARC make available reflect a number of forms of consent through the narrator's understanding of the interview's use for scholarly work and inclusion into the historical record. Equally important is the researcher's responsibility to use the words and sentiments of the interviewee in context and in an ethical fashion, and when necessary, to seek out further consent. 

Section 107 (Fair Use) and Section 108 (Limited Reproduction) of the U.S. Copyright Law allows OHP to make copies of most recordings or transcripts available for non-commercial and educational use in public history projects or for personal use by individuals. OHP uses a copyright warning notice to explain the specific and limited usage conditions. It also requests that all materials be properly cited, and it in no way authorizes any further distribution or reproduction of its audio recordings or written transcripts in any format.

Content Warnings

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program (OHP) is very proud of the oral histories it makes available for research and use and takes seriously its duty to preserve the historical record as it relates to the University, community, and region. While OHP advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is aware that the historical nature of some materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, and even offensive opinions and language. Still, OHP offers its interviews in their entirety free of omission as a historical resource for study and understanding. OHP recognizes that it is the role of the historian to properly contextualize these interviews as products of their time.

OHP is committed to assessing and updating descriptions that are potentially harmful, and to establishing standards and policies to prevent future harmful language. Where needed OHP and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Murphy Library has provided content warning statements in the oral history’s index and welcomes any additional suggestions for interviews that are currently without warnings. Please contact: oralhistory@uwlax.edu.