How to Find Items in the Oral History Collection

Transcripts of the Youngstown State University Oral History Collection are housed in the W. F. Maag Jr. Library and may be viewed in the library. After locating a reference to a particular transcript, ask for it by call number at the Circulation Desk, Main Floor.

Links to the full text of the many of the transcripts are available in the Oral History Digital Collection at http://www.maag.ysu.edu/oralhistory/oral_hist.html. (The tapes are retained in the History Department).

You may also search MaagNet (The Maag Library Online Catalog) by author, title, call number, subject or key word to find transcripts of oral histories. MaagNet is accessible on the World Wide Web at http://jupiter.ysu.edu. Access to MaagNet is available at most locations on campus as well as from your home computer.

Begin all searches from the MaagNet home page:

• If you know the name of the person being interviewed or the person doing the interview:
  1. Click on AUTHOR
  2. Type: lastname, firstname
  • Example:  Smith, Mary Elizabeth
  
  
  
• If you know the title:
  1. Click on TITLE
  2. Type: as much of the title as you know, omitting any leading articles (a, an or the).
     • Example: vietnam war experience
  
  
  
• If you know the call number:
  1. Click on Call Numbers & Other Numeric Indexes
  2. Click on Local Call Number
  3. Type: oral history <number>
     • Example:: oral history 0004
     • Note: All oral histories are assigned call numbers which begin with "oral history" followed by a four digit number.
       • Example: oral history 0101
  
  
  
• To find oral histories on a particular subject:
  1. First produce a numerical list of all oral histories by doing a call number search:
  • Click on Call Numbers & Other Numeric Indexes
  • Click on Local Call Number
  • Type: oral history
  
  
  
  2. When the search is complete and a numerical list is on the screen, you may then limit by subject:
  • Click the Limit This Search button at the top of the MaagNet screen
  • Click the pull down menu that begins with "Words in the..." (Click the arrow to open the menu)
  • Select (click on) Words in the SUBJECT
  • Type: [desired subject heading**]
  • Example: steel industry and trade
  • Click on Limit/Sort items retrieved using above data

**If you do not know the appropriate subject heading for your topic, consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings (kept at the Reference Desk) or ask a librarian.

This page was last updated March 14, 2002.