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Researching
the Herbal Traditions of Britain
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Information is only as good as the collector. The art of taking and recording an oral history is a specialized skill. It is more than listening, it is the task of hearing everything and collecting the details without prejudice or the need for them to make immediate sense; encouraging memories and reminiscences without leading. The Ethnomedica Council of Management trained 40 volunteer collectors from around the UK in the skills of oral history research at a free training day organized with the help of the NIMH (Post Graduate Training Board). |
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The
training day taught volunteers to;
* Listen accurately. Tape and/or transcribe.
* Process the information. * Verify places and plant names. * Take samples and photographs. * Present data in a form suitable for storage, following the standard forms for data collection and consent. * Consider other issues, identity, confidentiality, consent, security, safety and etiquette. |
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We hope to have another training day this year |
The day generated much interest and was over booked. Forty people attended and it was fun and informative. After Training thirteen people applied to become official researchers for Ethnomedica. Several also offered to act as an organizer for their local region. We were able to divide the country into eight regions, each with a trained researcher to act as a local organizer to liaise, support and help others in their area. Each researcher received an Ethnomedica serial number, Identity card, forms and Ethnomedica stationary. |
