About Us

Since 1979, the Oral History Centre has been collecting stories, and building up our nation's treasure trove of memories.

Using a structured oral history methodology with comprehensive research and documentation, we have collected more than 4,000 interviews from politicians to street hawkers, medical professionals to prisoners-of-war, artists to entrepreneurs. These individuals provide an intimate account of major events in Singapore history, as well as details of their daily lives in times bygone.

Housed at the National Archives of Singapore, our oral history collection adds a personal dimension to Singapore's body of archival records.

• 
  Our interviewees come from all walks of life. Their individual stories make up the strands that go into the rich tapestry of Singapore’s history.
• 
  The interviewer-interviewee dynamic is a critical factor for a successful interview. A good interviewer helps put the interviewee at ease and facilitates in eliciting a rich, detailed account of the past.
• 
  Our team comprises interviewers, transcribers, audio technicians and support staff who dedicate ourselves to the capturing, preserving and documenting of the nation’s memories.
• 
  We conduct oral history training workshops and seminars for schools, institutions and community groups, and encourage groups to embark on their own oral history projects.
• 
  Our vast collection of archival CDs, archival DVDs, open reel tapes, high grade cassettes are housed in climate-controlled repositories with round-the-clock environmental monitoring.