Frequently Asked Questions
PERSONAL HISTORIAN SERVICES
What is a personal historian? People have long employed professional writers and editors to help them with their memoirs or have hired "ghostwriters" to pen books in their name. Personal historians are creative professionals who help both people and communities tell their stories. A personal historian may be engaged to help individuals, families, communities, or organizations preserve memories, images, voices, stories, and histories - often (but not always) in narrative form.
What is a personal history? Typically, a personal history is the story of a life, or stories from a life. It may be a memoir, a tribute, a life story, an autobiography, a biography, a video biography, or an oral history. It may also be a legacy letter or ethical will, expressing one's values, wishes, regrets, observations about life, lessons learned, and so on. Many personal histories are books, a growing number are captured on video, and some are still simply audio. There are also fine art projects such as paintings, collages, scrapbooks, quilts, and shadowboxes.
Why hire a personal historian?
Writing your own life story can seem daunting. Working with a skilled collaborator turns the process from overwhelming to energizing. Telling your life story to a neutral outsider who is trained to listen and ask good questions often elicits a fuller, more revealing story than you might write on your own. A skilled personal historian can help you recall key events in your life, draw out details that will be meaningful to future generations, and find the thread that ties together the various stories in your life in a coherent and readable narrative. Personal historians can do research to place your stories in social and historical context and can interview friends, family, and colleagues to elicit a fuller, richer picture of your life. Also, some personal historians specialize in organizing and preserving photographs, film, letters, diaries, and related memorabilia - for private or special collections or for use in creating personal histories.
What's the point? Why would anyone be interested in an ordinary person's story? Wouldn't you like to know what your great-grandparents' lives were really like - in their own words? No matter how ordinary we might think our life is, it will be interesting to our descendants and to future researchers. And structured reminiscence produces more than nostalgia - though nostalgia is important in tributes (a form of personal history popular for birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestone events). Reminiscence and life review are now recognized as important life processes - sifting through memories to find the patterns, meaning, and value in your life.
Many people plan to interview aging family members, but put off doing so. Lack of time or skill may keep them from collecting and preserving the stories of those they care about, and when they finally find time to do so, it is often too late - those who lived the stories are too frail to tell them, or their memories have faded, or their voices are silenced by death. Family members often experience a sense of grief when it's clear those stories and voices are lost forever. A personal historian can help you collect those stories while there is time!
How is personal history different from genealogy? Genealogists research, record, and map family trees - who descended from whom. Families collecting information about family births, deaths, and marriages are learning that stories bring to life all those names on the family tree. It is those stories that personal historians are most interested in. Personal histories connect generations - including generations unborn - through stories, insights, and shared wisdom.
A genealogist's work is based on research in public and private records, while a personal historian may focus more on interviews with people who are still living. Ideally, personal histories bring to life the individuals portrayed and the kind of life they led. Most personal histories aren't strictly geared to the family tree: more often they narrate a particular life, relating stories and anecdotes within the story arc of one individual's life.
What's the final product? How do I know which product to choose?
Among the possibilities: a set of audiotapes, an edited transcript of interviews (with or without photographs), a printed narrative (a book, typically with photos), an ethical will, a video photo montage, a custom video biography. The benefits and price range are different for each option. A personal historian can clarify which products might suit your needs. Find a personal historian in your area, ask them questions, and consider the costs and time required as you review their portfolio and samples of other personal histories.
CDs and DVDs are increasingly used to digitally store words, images, and sound. Many personal historians specialize in multimedia productions can help you tell your story, pulling together in one product text, photos, audio, letters and other documents - even old home movies and videos. Rapid and constant advances in technology allow ever more imaginative ways to capture and convey a person's life for future generations.
Many families choose to produce both a book and a multimedia product. It is important to produce a book on high-quality, acid-free paper if you want it to last, and it is important to ask about the "shelf-life" of a digitally produced product as well. It may be prudent to transcribe any audio or video interviews, including those done for a book, and to keep bound copies of the original transcripts.
Where and how are interviews done? Interviews should be recorded in a quiet, comfortable room, to minimize background noise. If you are being interviewed in your home, other family members are generally urged to occupy themselves elsewhere, to prevent distraction. If the goal is to get the story of a couple, most personal historians prefer to interview the partners separately before they are interviewed together. In a separate interview, the quieter partner may speak up more fully, not having to share the spotlight (or feel censored by their partner), particularly when asked questions for which the couple has not developed a stock response.
If you are shy or reluctant to be interviewed, it may help warm you up to start by talking about objects in the home, the people in old family photos, others in the family, or anything that takes the focus off of you or your fear that you can't remember things. Disciplined remembering generally brings a flood of memories, some of them coming as you sleep. Keep a tablet at your bedside to jot down notes about long-forgotten scenes from your life, to relate at your next interview session. Expect to enjoy the process.
How long does it take to do the interviews? Recording a person's life story often takes from a few hours to ten or twenty, depending on the narrator's memories and his or her desire and physical and emotional ability to share them. Sessions typically last from one to three hours each, depending on your energy and comfort level, and are often spaced out over days or weeks. Mind you, some lives are more complex and some projects more ambitious - in which case the interviews may extend over many months, sometimes years. With video, projects tend to be shorter in time, more focused and intense. Some video producers ask for a pre-interview meeting, to help determine which questions will elicit the best (most usable) responses; others feel that nothing kills spontaneity like getting people in any way to rehearse their answers.
What if there are some things I don't want to talk about? Leave them out. No one will force you to say anything. Personal historians are not investigative reporters, digging for dirt. It often helps to talk about difficult periods in terms of how you survived them. Life writing is not therapy, but time after time we have seen its therapeutic effects. By understanding where you came from, you may come to better understand who you are. Even upbeat memoirs gain much of their strength from revealing the dark times through which a person has struggled, and the lessons you learned can be especially valuable to others going through dark times. But you don't have to discuss anything. When you hire a personal historian, you control the content.
How long does it take to complete a project? That depends on the scope of the project. Some projects can be completed in a matter of weeks, some take three to six months, and some take one or two years or more. Interviews captured in audio can often be completed in a matter of days or weeks. Producing a video, CD, or DVD, or turning audio-recorded interviews into a book, may require two to six months or more, from interviews through writing, editing, photo selection, and production. It depends on how much material there is, how much time you have to spend on the project, how many options you decide to include, and how soon the work can be scheduled. Sometimes families encourage a leisurely schedule, spread over time, so the narrator (the person telling the story) can relish the process and work at a comfortable pace.
How much does a personal history cost?
Prices vary widely, ranging from hundred of dollars to many thousands for a complex biography, a large family or company history, or an intricate video production. Personal history services are labor-intensive, sometimes requiring many hours of interviewing, transcribing, videotaping, editing, revising, and preparing materials for publication or audio/video distribution. A personal history project can be crafted to fit your budget, the price typically reflecting the number and length of interviews and the services needed to convert those interviews into the type of product you want. (See next two questions.) Often a personal history is commissioned as a gift - for a holiday, special birthday, anniversary, or milestone event. Since virtually all major costs are in the first book, video, or audio-recording, family members may choose to share the cost, making the project an affordable investment for everyone, from which all benefit.
Can I write my memoir myself? Yes, you can, and there are many books and classes to help you do it, but most people never get around to doing it on their own. They often need the motivation, structure, prompting, and encouragement that a professional personal historian can provide. Many APH members can serve as consultants to help you get started and give you some ideas about structure for your memoir. If you have already written your life story, a personal historian can help you take it from there by editing the manuscript, handling the inclusion of photos, preparing your story for printing, and overseeing the printing and binding process.
Many APH members teach workshops in memoir writing, guided autobiography, and other forms of life writing. The chief advantage of these workshops is that they keep you writing, whether for growth, for pleasure, for posterity, or for publication. In one common format, you write something at home each week and read it aloud in the workshop. (Some classes are even held online.) Reading your story aloud helps you identify and develop your own written "voice," helps you hear where your story elicits reactions or drags, and helps you feel heard. Hearing stories written by others helps you learn what works and what doesn't and suggests new angles on your own life story. (It is also just plain fascinating.) The bonding that often develops when adults share their life stories in a safe and trusting atmosphere is one of the great side effects of this approach to personal history writing. By writing to an audience of familiar strangers, you are encouraged both to observe your own life closely and to write with the long view - and, most important, to keep writing.
TRADITIONAL HISTORICAL SERVICES
What is a historian? A historian is someone with expert knowledge of past events. They can have specialized areas of interest within their profession. A historian is important in the analysis, discovery, and preservation of history. They are also employed by organizations to use their in-depth knowledge of past events and apply them to current situations to weigh outcomes.
A historian is responsible for compiling historical data and using it in completion of scholarly articles. This profession is also responsible for researching unexplored areas of history and searching for information about past events, persons, and locations to aid in a modern understanding of the past and how it relates to the future.
What is a historical consultant/contract historian? A historical consultant is a professional who helps conduct research and verify the accuracy of existing information. They may travel to assist organizations across the country to help them learn more about historical landmarks, artwork, or cultures. Companies may require historical knowledge but not have the time or resources to conduct the research themselves, so they hire these professionals to find and provide these details for them.
Contract historians most often work on projects in historical preservation, archaeology, architectural history, historical architecture, landscape architecture, and litigation. Each client brings new questions and opportunities to explore different subjects and resources. While some assignments may be short term, such as preparing a short history for an organization or town, others may involve extensive research and travel, and perhaps even testifying as an expert witness.
What does a historical consultant do? A historical consultant helps a variety of organizations with research and data collection tasks and ensures existing historical information is accurate and reliable. They may perform a variety of tasks, including:
Conducting historical research regarding a document, building, piece of artwork, or cultural era
Drafting proposals to advocate for the historical value of buildings and landmarks
Assisting filmmakers with setting and costume design to ensure they create an accurate depiction of a location and time period
Create reports for film and theater productions that describe characters’ costumes, the appropriate sets, and necessary props
Supervising movie and television show filming to highlight historical inaccuracies and instruct actors how to use their props
Who uses Historical Consulting? As freelance professional, I work for various organizations, including private businesses, museums, artists, private collectors, historical societies, and theater/film production companies. Professional environments can vary, my work depends on the contract and the individual client’s need. For example, I may assist an art museum by researching the pieces on display and providing historical context and information regarding a collection of work or help a city or county with efforts to gather funding for its historical buildings and sites.
Archives - The often staggering amount of new acquisitions, in addition to a substantial backlog, can lead some archives to hire an outside contractor or consultant to assess the preservation status of an institution’s holdings, process a discrete collection, or perform another project-based task. Independent contractors can also be called upon by private businesses looking to reorganize their institutional files.
Media - An increasingly sxophicated audience is demoing greater historical integrity in media productions. Producers of documentaries, dramatic films, and educational programming often hire historical consultants to advise on costumes, scenery, propers, dialect, and content accuracy. Most television networks and large production companies will require the services of a historian, and some consulting firms specialize in media productions and the entertainment industry.
Museums - Museums of every size can often benefit from the experience and resources of an outside contractor. Because object conservation can be a costly endeavor, few museums are able to maintain a proper conservation lab and a full-time conservator. Contract conservation, whether performed by a firm or by independent conservators, can provide specialized skills and equipment for repairs, exhibition preparation, re-housing, and preventative care. Other museum contractors provide assistances in exhibition production. A contractor or consultant may bid on a curatorial project, which usually involves researching and writing exhibition scripts. An outside agency can also be called upon for exhibit design and fraction for a specialized exhibit, either to assist a busy staff or simply to offer a fresh perspective.
Other consulting projects - Small, specialized companies fulfill other historical needs. Recent trends include genealogy research firms and house biographers that answer the needs of families in search of a sense of identity. Similarly, corporations will often seek contract historians to research and present personal histories and biographical information. Law firms occasionally employ historical consultants to conduct research for litigation involving historical background material.
Why create a community, organizational, or corporate history?
My approach combines interviews and storytelling with research in archival materials to help bring to life the stories of communities, schools, churches, businesses, corporations, labor unions, fire and police departments, and other organizations. Histories of organizations are used for promotion, to boost employee morale, to explain the organization to donors and supporters, to inform clients and vendors, as fundraisers, or as tributes to founders or key employees and board members. Some businesses proudly direct their customers to a designated exhibit area or small museum in which both print and video histories may showcase the company's history.
What is the average cost for historical consultation? Historical consultations may depend on the type of roles and tasks required. Clients are paying for the combination of academic training and the amount of industry experience of the historical consultant. I am happy to discuss prices and fundraising efforts for your project!
What are the required skills? Historains need a variety of skills to perform the diverse job responsibilities that can be required of their profession. Here is a list of skills that are important to historians and that can be implemented on a historian’s resume:
Analysis - Historical consultants may be responsible for reviewing and analyzing data, making analytical skills an important aspect of this role. This can also help them examine historical records and identity relevant information for their client. Analysis also allows them to assess an organization’s current approach and identify aspects that lack historical accuracy or may benefit from improvement.
Analytical thinking - A historian’s ability to review records and analyze data can be an important component of their job duties.
Attention to detail - When assessing the accuracy of a cinematic performance or piece of art, it’s important to possess a keen attention to detail. This skill allows you to notice minor inaccuracies and ensure that all aspects of your client’s work represent the location and historical area adequately. It also allows you to write documents and proposals that don’t contain spelling or grammatical errors, so you can maintain your professionalism and execute your job duties with ease.
Collaboration - A historian should be able to collaborate with colleagues when completing research and relent tasks that require teamwork. This skill demonstrates a historian’s ability to work well with others, and in doing so, make educated assumptions about history.
As a historical consultant, it’s important for you to feel comfortable collaborating with a variety of other professionals across industries. For example, they may be a part of film production and theater teams where they advise cast members, costume designers, and set designers to ensure the performances are historically accurate. Teamwork allows these professionals to share their ideals, receive feedback from others and work towards a common goal.
Computer software proficiency - Being able to operate computer software programs could be a major part of a historian’s job. This is an important skill for modern-day historians as many historical documents, artifacts, and studies are uploaded to online archives.
Fact recollection - A historian who works in a setting such as a museum or lecture hall should be able to use their expert knowledge and memory of events to answer historical questions.
Historical interpretation - This is an industry-specific skill that requires someone to be able to review a past event, historical document or artifact and draw conclusions about it in relation to the historical time period. This skill can also be used in linking historical methods to the modern world and its events or practices.
Public speaking - Historians are skilled in public speaking. Having the capabilities to discuss historical events and their importance to an audience can have a significant impact on how much an audience learns.
Report writing - A historian might be required to write reports on their findings as they are considered to be a part of the intellectual profession. Being able to organize and write about a particular topic can be beneficial to other intellectuals when they review the report.
Organizations may hire a historian as a consultant to help them write instructive reports regarding the culture, style, or customs of a particular historical period. This means that being able to complete a well-written and informative report is an essential aspect of this role, and a strength historical consultants typically information clearly into a document that a variety of audiences can learn from.
Verbal and written communication - Verbal and written communication skills can help a historical consultant present their ideas and offer feedback regarding the historical accuracy of a costume, set or production. These strengths also allow them to draft reports or proposals about the historical relevance of a landmark or artifact. It also helps them translate complex historical terminology so a variety of audiences have access to the information.
Written and oral communication - Being able to speak and write effectively can help a historian present their ideas and translate complex concepts into terminology that can be understood by the public.