The University of Alabama at Birmingham Oral History Collection includes interviews recorded between 1975 and 1984 under the direction of the Oral History Office in the Department of History at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. The purpose of the Oral History Office was "to collect, preserve, and make available the oral memoirs of prominent persons who have contributed significantly to all phases of recent Alabama history." After completion of the project, the office became inactive, and in 1992 the material was added to the Mervyn H. Sterne Library collection for use by students and scholars. Mervyn H. Sterne Library provided full access to the collection and cataloged the materials in the library online catalog.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Oral History Collection contains recorded interviews that focus on Southern history and culture. The interview topics cover Alabama political and civic leaders, civil rights in Alabama, ethnic history of Alabama, folk history of Alabama, labor history of Alabama, religious history of Alabama, history of Alabama women, historic Alabama communities, Alabama refugee experiences, and history of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The interviews give voice to civil rights and women's suffrage workers, black and white textile mill and industrial workers, and many others sharing their stories about Alabama life and culture.

Some of the recorded interviews have restrictions imposed by the interviewees on release forms. These restrictions are listed as part of the catalog record. In cases where there are no legal release forms, the information is available to students and scholars but cannot be cited or quoted in publications.