The ASME Oral-Video History Program, under the sponsorship of the History and Heritage Committee, seeks personal accounts from individuals who have contributed significantly to mechanical engineering. Recordings of their experiences are an excellent way to pass on knowledge from one generation to another.

ASME has begun this program, achieving initial success with the taping of ASME Past Presidents. Although the program is still setting up procedures and records, Sections and Divisions can begin the process by accumulating interviews. Ultimately, the History and Heritage Committee will establish a system of transcribing, checking, and indexing the tapes. Currently, any available tapes are stored at headquarters as part of the H&H program and are available to scholars, writers, historians, and educators.

Who Should be Interviewed?

• Engineers who played major roles in the development of new systems or devices.
• Those who knew other outstanding engineers in their time.
• Those active in ASME and other technical groups.
• The founders of a Section, Division, or other engineering group.
• Those who can trace changes in engineering practice.

Who Should Do the Interviewing?

• Someone who is interested in people, in engineering, and in history.
• Someone who understands and can, if necessary, help translate or interpret technical information offered by the interviewee.
• Someone who is familiar with the subject and who, through judicious questioning, can help the interviewee cover the necessary information.

Before the Interview

Know why you are interviewing your subject. Do some research to anticipate where the interview is heading, so that you can ask relevant questions if necessary.

Ask the interviewee for 30 to 90 minutes of time at a convenient location in a room that is quiet and where you will be undisturbed.

Ask the interviewee to fill out the appropriate consent forms. If the individual believes that portions of the tapes should not be made available until a certain date in the future, indicate that date on the form.

Gather background material (articles, clippings, photographs, etc.) to help you in the interview, copies of which should accompany the tapes to the Oral History repository as supplementary material. (Newspaper clippings should be copied to durable bond paper for permanence, and the original can then be destroyed.)

Prepare a list of questions. Send them to the interviewer and the subject in advance, but with the understanding that they are general "take off" questions. Other questions probably will follow from these basic ones.

Know how to work the tape machine or video camera.

At the Interview

Ask the interviewee to speak clearly, particularly unusual words or names, and also ask the interviewee to spell unusual names or words.

Remind the subject that the conversation will be interrupted at 30 or 60 minutes to change tapes.

Begin by recording on the tape the subject's name, date, and place of the interview; your name; and the basic biographical facts of the subject. This can be done before the subject arrives, if necessary. Then ask the first question.

Don't lead the conversation -- guide it by judicious questions and comments. It is the interviewee's knowledge and opinions that you want.

Take notes to provide a basis for further questions, for clarifying meaning and spelling.

Let the interview follow its natural course, but try to get answers to all your questions.

Interviews often proceed chronologically but you can help pace your subject during the more important or interesting parts. Use questions to keep him moving forward by asking about the next phase. Slow the interview down by asking a detailed question, especially if you spot a gap in the chronology or content.

Guiding Principle

The interview should be a monologue, as far as possible, by the interviewee. The interviewer's role should be focused entirely upon keeping the monologue going and asking questions to accomplish the purposes of the interview.

Submissions

On completion of the interview, label the tapes or cassettes clearly and send the originals to ASME, along with the consent forms, still pictures, and any background documents.

You may wish to make duplicates before trusting the originals to the mails.