The project focused on 200 video interviews lasting 8–15 hours, with four themes: Made in Britain, A Changing Planet, Cosmologies and Biomedicine.[2] The project Advisory Committee included Jon Agar, Alec Broers, Tilly Blyth, Georgina Ferry, Dame Julia Higgins, Maja Kominko, Sir Harry Kroto, John Lynch, Chris Rapley and Simone Turchetti.
An Oral History of British Science was conducted by National Life Stories (NLS) at the British Library, and formed part of a wider institutional initiative to better document contemporary history of science and technology through the addition of audio visual sources as well as written sources.[3][4]
Methodology
The oral history of British science follows the biographical, or life story, oral history approach with each audio interview averaging 8 to 15 hours in length. The interviews cover the individual’s career history, education, background and family.[citation needed]
Access to interviews
All interviews are catalogued on the Sound and Moving Image Catalogue.[5] Interviews which are complete and open are accessible onsite at the Library in St Pancras, London and in Boston Spa, Yorkshire via the Library’s Listening & Viewing Service.[6] Interviews which are open are also made accessible via the Archival Sound Recordings website under the ‘Oral history of British science’ content package.[7]
People interviewed
Interviewed for ‘A Changing Planet’:
Barbara Bowen (Geophysics technician/ research assistant)