Augorah: About Augorah at Augsburg University

Augsburg Oral Histories (AugOraH) is an ongoing project supported by Lindell Library at Augsburg University. We seek to preserve oral history recordings created by Augsburg students, faculty, staff, and members of our community and share those recordings with the world. 

Oral histories are crucial primary sources. They provide information that is otherwise not available in books, articles, films, and other forms of published information. 

We are happy to help you get started with your oral history project. Due to staff limitations, we cannot conduct oral histories on your behalf or accompany you in an oral history interview.

To ensure the accessibility of our oral history collections and the protection of interview participants, the following policies apply to all oral history recordings and  associated documentation in Augorah: 

1. Students. faculty, staff, and other members of the Augsburg community may contribute to Augorah. Members of the public who are not affiliated with Augsburg cannot contribute to Augorah without consulting Augsburg library staff. Please contact Stewart Van Cleve, vanclev1@augsburg.edu, to schedule an appointment prior to beginning an oral history project with Augorah.
2. Augsburg library staff reserve the right to reject an oral history recording submitted to Augorah. Oral histories that are currently held in Augorah can be removed from public access at any time.
3. All oral history recordings must correspond to a signed Consent and Release Form by the interview participant(s) and the interviewer.
4. Augorah generally does not accept oral histories conducted on the condition of the interview participant's anonymity, as a person can be recognized by their voice of by the content of their interview. Exceptions will be granted for faculty research projects, or for student research projects conducted under the direction of a faculty member with prior knowledge and approval of Augsburg library staff. Please contact us for additional information.
5. Following Title 45 (Public Welfare), Part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects) of the Code of Federal Regulations' definition of "Scholarly and Journalistic Activities Deemed not to be Research," 45 C.F.R. §46.102 [I] (2018), Augorah does not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for oral histories conducted with adults over the age of 18 who are able to provide informed consent to be interviewed about their personal memories. Please note the following:​

• Interview participants under the age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian sign a separate Consent and Release Form in order to have the participants' oral history supported by Augorah.
• Augorah does not accept oral histories conducted with participants that cannot provide informed consent or are otherwise considered part of a "vulnerable population." Exceptions will be granted if the Interviewer submits a research proposal, including the Consent and Release Form, to Augsburg's Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval. Augorah requires written IRB approval in order to accept oral histories conducted with vulnerable populations.

Your generous support can help Augorah grow and maintain our collection of oral histories. Financial support can help us:

• Acquire portable and high-quality recording equipment for the Augsburg community to use in the field;
• Provide the staff time needed to process and catalog recordings;
• Promote our collection through exhibits, presentations, and community workshops.

To learn more about supporting this project, please contact the Library Director, Mary Hollerich.