A Fun Guide to Recording Your Family's Living History

November 29, 2012

How to Tape Instant Oral Biographies: Capture Your Family’s Living History for Future Generations by Bill Zimmerman certainly captured my eye when I saw it on the shelf. It also captured my imagination as I read through some of the ideas shared. Included are practical suggestions like: Become familiar with your equipment…before you start videoing or recording; review your interview questions so you are comfortable asking these questions; and use family photographs to spur memories. Also included are 36 pages of sample questions to ask during the interview such as:

• Tell me about an adventure you had.
• Your strangest experience.
• Your funniest.
• What is the most wonderful place you visited?

"Make Beliefs” Activities to Do Together, Family Time Capsules, and Family History Sheets are three more chapters that will capture your imagination and will help you prepare for your family oral history interviews. This book is available for checkout at the Midwest Genealogy Center. Check it out for some fun family time!

Charlotte M.
Midwest Genealogy Center