Research

Locating first-hand accounts is often a chore for researchers. The Museum Oral History Program is pleased to make abstract outlines of all our completed interviews available through this web site—thus further sharing New Mexico's farming, ranching, and rural heritage with the rest of the world. We are also proud to serve as publisher of the Oral History Collections Catalog for New Mexico (see below).

Below are links to lists of our interviews, arranged by name, interview category, and regions of the state. You can also search the database by keyword. If you find someone of interest to you, click on their name to access more information about that individual and their interview, including a complete abstract outline of what they talked about. Completed interview tapes and transcripts are available to researchers through the the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum Oral History Program Archives. Interview tapes and transcripts are available to researchers through the New Mexico State University Library Archives & Special Collections Department.

Keyword Search

Searches the contents of the interview, and interviewee names.

Browse by Name

Browse by Category

Interviews conducted by the Oral History Program are based on a standardized list of questions (called a protocol) arranged in major interview categories. Select a category to see interviews and the interview protocol for that category.

Browse by Region

Every interview conducted by the Oral History Program is demographically assigned to a geographic region of the state based approximately on the map shown here. Generally, this assignment is based on the principle area discussed during the interview. This usually is the area where the interviewee lives (at the time of the interview) or where they were interviewed, but this is not always the case. Some interviews discuss early times in their life when they lived in another part of New Mexico. Refer to the abstract to ensure that the interview pertains to the region of your research interest.

Northwest New Mexico Northeast New Mexico North Central New Mexico Central New Mexico Southeast New Mexico Southwest New Mexico Outside New Mexico

Oral History Collection Catalog for New Mexico

In 2008 the Oral History Program adopted and updated the Oral History Collection Catalog for New Mexico (1988, 1993). This comprehensive guide provides information about all known oral history collections throughout New Mexico, as well as those in other states which have New Mexico-related content. Each institution is profiled with complete contact information and descriptions of its projects, finding aids, and availability to the public.

The 3rd edition of the OHCC guide is made available on this web site in part by a grant from the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board. Click here to download the catalog (1.5 mb).

The Oral History Program plans to revise and reissue the OHCC in a Statehood Centennial/4th edition in about 2012 or 2013. If you have additions or corrections that we need to include, please refer to page 203 of the OHCC for information to submit to us, or contact the Oral History Program Director at (575) 522-4100.