Hello guys. I hope a question about historiography is also appropriate here.
I've been put in contact with an 89 year old Holocaust survivor and a participant of Warsaw Uprising. I've asked him to conduct an interview with me about his experiences and he has agreed to have it recorded.
Are there any projects or institution that would be interested in preserving this and making it available to researchers and historians? I'm ready to transcribe it, if that's what it takes.
Are there any particular things that I should keep an eye on? For example, if I have him agree (on recording) that the recording is in public domain, will that absolve me of any copyright issues?
Should I consider holding onto the recording until he passes away (he's got prostate cancer so, sadly, that probably won't be long).
Any guidance on conducting oral history interviews would be appreciated.
For my part, I have a bachelor's degree in History with emphasis on Eastern Front of WW2 and Intelligence History so I'm not a total layperson when it comes to the subject. However, I have never even considered doing something like this, hence feeling a bit like a deer caught in headlights.
Also, if you have any questions you'd want me to ask him, let me know.
EDIT: Dammit, missed a word in the title. :(
While my grandparents were too young to be actual participants during WWII in Poland, one of the best answers my grandma gave me was about how she remembered finding out about the War. She was a little girl when Germany invaded and she told me about listening to the radio and hearing the adults nearby speak about it. When she learned that Germany had begun to invade, she told me her biggest fear was where to hide her doll.
Finding out the context before the War began can paint a really interesting scene and humanize survivors.
If you're in the US, both of you relinquishing any claims to copyright and explicitly putting it in the public domain is generally accepted as sufficient. However that doesn't mesh with all countries. I'd look at this particular Creative Commons license if you really want to relinquish everything: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
I'd consider looking at the other licenses though. Public domain means literally anything goes, including it being used for commercial purposes. You may want to think about having it under a Creative Commons license where commercial use is prohibited but the recording is free to share as long as it's attributed to you: https://creativecommons.org/choose/
EDIT: I forgot to mention, you'll especially and explicitly want to get a disclaimer from him. If he dies without relinquishing the claim, it's 75 years under copyright in the US unless his estate does this, but that can get messy. It only takes one stubborn relative to ruin that.
Do you mean Warsaw Uprising of 1944 or Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943?
There are numerous institution which could be interested in the testimony. If you are talking about 1944 uprising you should contact Warsaw Uprising Museum, Jewish Historical Institute or POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. They are based in Warsaw, Poland and would be more than happy to receive new sources and testimonies. You should without a problem contact with them in english via mail.
Another instituion is USC Shoah Foundation which has the biggest archive of survivors testimonies.
You might consider checking out the Shoah Foundation. I'm not sure if they allow random people to submit interviews, but it might at least provide some good examples on how to conduct the interview.
Warsaw Uprising or Warsaw Ghetto Uprising?
Not that I know what you should do but these are separate events.
Did those, who participated in Uprising, expected that Red Army would help? Or did they knew that there will be no help?