To the Editor:
As a practicing oral historian, I am writing to express my
concern at Ms. Kayyem’s characterization of the Belfast Project (“BC casethrows cold water on IRA, academia,” 7/12/2012) as “inconsistent with …
oral-history standards.” Best practices in the field demand that all
interviewees be fully informed, and sign a use agreement, prior to the oral
history interview. The Oral History Association’s Principles and Standards state that “interviews should remain confidential until interviewees have given
permission for their use,” that interviewees have the right to seal portions of
their interviews, and that sponsoring institutions and archives have the
responsibility to honor the agreements made and documented between interviewer
and interviewee.
While it is possible to make a legal argument both for and
against respecting the confidentiality agreements the Belfast Project
interviewers made with those whom they interviewed, those agreements were not “inconsistent”
with oral historical best practices. Rather, they followed the guidelines set out
by professionals in the field.
Sincerely,
Anna J. Cook, M.A., M.L.S.
Allston, Mass.
