recording family histories
TRANSCRIPT
Sir Lionel Lindsay family ca. 1940
Recording Family Histories
Topics Covered
✤ Deciding who to interview
✤ Where to interview
✤ What equipment to use
✤ What questions to ask
✤ Preserving the recordings
Who to interview
Things to consider
✤ Age
✤ Older is not always better
✤ Younger people can offer perspective on older people or family.
✤ Willingness
✤ Unwilling people can be more guarded or they feel forced and may not get as good of answers.
✤ Time commitment
✤ Can be time consuming
Where to interview
✤ Some people might be more conformable at home or other familiar location
✤ Others might be better served being away from home or familiar location
✤ Time of day is a factor
✤ Some people will be more alert in morning or afternoon or even evening.
Equipment
✤ Lots of choices
✤ Things to consider
✤ Price points
Smartphone
✤ Easy to use
✤ No special equipment
✤ Lost of software choices
✤ Not the best audio
✤ Easy to share with others
Creativity Lab
✤ Free
✤ Sound proof room
✤ Great sound quality
✤ Need to learn or know software
✤ Classes offered
✤ Takes time
Portable Recorders
✤ Can be expensive
✤ From $50-$500
✤ Good to great sound recording
✤ May require additional stuff
✤ Memory card
✤ Good for preserving stories
Questions to Your Interviewee
✤ What was it like growing up in ____?
✤ If married or partner, how did you meet your ______?
✤ What was your favorite radio or TV show growing up?
✤ Is there anything else that you feel is important to discuss?
✤ https://storycorps.org/great-questions/
“17 Most Essential Radio Interview Tips,” Success in Media, http://www.successinmedia.com/radio-interview-tips/
Saving the Interview& Sharing the interview
✤ Soundcloud
✤ Youtube
✤ Vimeo
✤ StoryCorps app for iPhone
✤ Save on to CD or DVD
✤ Not cheap
✤ Delkin Devices Archival Gold™ 52x CD-R Discs (25-Pack) from Gaylord Brothers $89.50
Resources
✤ https://storycorps.org/do-it-yourself-guide/
✤ To Our Children’s Children by Bob Greene & D.G. Fulford
✤ Creativity Lab at Peabody Institute
✤ Local History Resource Center
✤ Transcribing links
✤ http://www.mnhs.org/collections/oralhistory/ohtranscribing.pdf
✤ http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/docs/otherpublications/guide_to_transcribing_and_summarizing_oral_histories.pdf
✤ Chicago Manual of Style (current edition)
Questions?
FIN