Applied Research On The Oral History In The Context Of Museums

Oral history in the modern sense originated in the first half of the 20th century.Now oral history has become an important sub-discipline in History,and its methods and achievements are used in many areas.Some museums started to work on oral history in the 1970s,and then more and more museums had their oral history collections.This paper analyzes the history,definition and characteristics of oral history with literature and field investigation methods,and discusses and establishes the relationship between oral history and museums.Then it analyzes the role of oral history in the museum and the methods and processes of oral history projects in museums.Oral history is mnemonic,democratic and cooperative.With the popularization of historic knowledge,the change of the definition of museums,and the transformation of the concepts of museums,oral history became a part of the collection,research and exhibition of museums.With the accumulation of oral history materials,the development of the concepts and techniques of museums,oral history is more and more significant for museums.For instance,oral history can provide complementary information for collections or be a part of collections itself.In the exhibitions,oral history has the functions of enriching the content,restoring historical scenes,expanding the narrative perspective,refining the theme of the exhibition,dealing with sensitive topics,enhancing the audience experience and improving participation.An oral history project conducted by the museum is systematic which is divided into pre-preparation,collecting materials,the preparation and storage of materials,and the use of oral history.The general methods of oral history is basically applicable to oral history projects in museums,but the special context of museums also has certain specialities in terms of their purposes,themes and applications.The role of oral history in museums is increasingly diverse,but there are still some issues like the lack of long-term plan,resources and code of practice which hinder the development of oral history in the context of museums.