Opportunity to join the editorial team at the Oral History Society

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The UK Oral History Society is looking for new editorial members for the Oral History Journal – a gret opportunity to get involved with an exciting team and journal:

Oral History is one of only a handful of journals worldwide with a specific interest in research, debate and developments in the field of oral history and memory. Since 1970, the journal has been at the cutting edge of oral history work, publishing leading exponents as well as those who are newly arrived on the scene and who are making their mark.

Oral History is looking to increase its current editorial group by recruiting active oral historians teaching and researching in Higher Education or have commensurate interests, skills and experience.

As the journal of the UK Oral History Society (www.ohs.org.uk), the journal aims to contribute to developments in the theory and practice of oral history by encouraging the sharing of ideas, experience and good practice of those who are aware of developments in the field of oral history, internationally. For this reason the editorial group is keen to expand its membership amongst those who are at the cutting edge of developments in the teaching of oral history and who have published in the area of memory studies, history and approaches to research.

Oral History encourages contributions from a wide range of disciplines and practices, including history, women’s studies, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, politics, social policy, social administration, museum studies, archive work, health studies, education, library and information services, community publishing, folklore, media studies, photography, broadcasting, nursing, social work, psychology, psychiatry, and in fact any area where the significance of orality, personal testimony and remembering is understood and valued. The journal also welcomes a variety of approaches from people from different countries and from different backgrounds.

ohjOral History is published twice a year (Spring and Autumn); members of the OHS receive a hard-copy of each issue and can also access back issues (issues more than two years old), through JSTOR. The editorial group meets quarterly at the British Library. Two, or more, of the issue editors take responsibility for one issue each year. The spring issue has a copy deadline of 15 December with final preparation of copy taking place during January-February each year. The autumn issue has a deadline of 30 June with final preparation of copy taking place during August-September each year.

Editorial duties include:

  • Commissioning or encouraging writers to produce papers
  • Reading through and commenting on submissions together with members of the issue editorial group
  • Liaising with the editorial assistant
  • Attending quarterly editorial meetings
  • Taking on responsibility for working with authors – drafting responses conveying editors’ views, and reviewers’ responses, seeking illustrations etc.
  • Liaising with the journal designer throughout the production period of a journal issue
  • Preparing articles for copy editing and liaising with the copy editor
  • Proof-reading and correcting proofs
  • Attending oral history events such as conferences with a view to encouraging writers
  • Keeping up-to-date with what is going on in oral history particularly in relation to learning developments in higher education, community engagement, public history and publishing.

Those interested should email a CV, highlighting their relevant editorial experience and skills, and accompanying this with a brief statement showing what they feel they have to offer the journal Oral History.

Deadline for applicants: 10 April 2015

Reply to journals [AT] ohs.org.uk