The Regional History Project has documented the history of the Central Coast of California and the institutional history of UC Santa Cruz since 1963, through oral history. Oral history is a method of conducting historical research through recorded interviews between a narrator with personal experience of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of adding to the historical record. Because it is a primary source, an oral history is not intended to present a final, verified, or "objective" narrative of events, or a comprehensive history of a place, such as the UCSC campus. It is a spoken account, reflects personal opinion offered by the narrator, and as such it is subjective. Oral histories may be used together with other primary sources as well as secondary sources to gain understanding and insight into history.

The Regional History Project has focused its oral history documentation on the following subject areas:

• Santa Cruz history
• History of UC Santa Cruz  
• Organic & sustainable farming
• GLBT history
• Agricultural history
• Lick Observatory
• Cultural history

Finding oral histories:

• Open Access via eScholarship:
  • All of the oral histories are available in full text (PDF) through the University of California's eScholarship site. Selected oral histories are also available in audio format there as well. Navigate to the audio files under "Supporting Material" in the bottom left column. The audio is available in MP3, both streaming and downloadable formats.
• In print at the University Library:
  • All of our oral histories are available to the public in print in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room and, in many cases, in the the circulating stacks of McHenry Library as well. Search the library's holdings to find the call number for the oral history you are looking for.

The Regional History Project has also published a number of books that place multiple oral history excerpts in conversation with one another, as a means of examining different perspectives on specific topics of regional, cultural, and university history. These include: 

• Seeds of Something Different: An Oral History of the University of California, Santa Cruz
• Out in the Redwoods: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender History at the University of California, Santa Cruz 1965-2003
• The Empty Year: An Oral History of the Pandemic(s) of 2020 at UC Santa Cruz
• Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History of Organic Farming & Sustainable Agriculture on California's Central Coast

These books are available to the public in print in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room and, in many cases, in the the circulating stacks of McHenry Library as well. 

Interested in oral history research as a field or research methodology? Check out this Oral History Research and Resources guide.