Establishing aDigital Oral History Program

Karen Kruse Thomas, Ph.D.Associate Director

Reichelt Oral History Program

I. The ROHP experience with digital oral history

Why go digital?

• Preservation• Access• Versatile editing• Publishing/multimedia• Fosters collaborative relationships

Assessing needs

• Target audience– researchers, educators, students, community

outreach, general public

• Current and projected resources– staff, equipment, space

Major ROHP needs

• Repository relationship– Preserve and catalog existing and future

interview collections

• Increase access to collections– Searchable finding aid, transcripts, and audio

excerpts available via Internet

Launching a pilot project

• Medical education at FSU– In 2000, FSU founded 1st new U.S. medical

school in 30 years– Significance to university, state, and nation– Generate initial interviewee list, 30 interviews– Foundational/demonstration interviews

Grant funding

• FL Office of Cultural & Historical Programs– Fostered new collaborations on and off

campus– Learned granting process– Unsuccessful on first try

Grant funding

• FL Office of Cultural & Historical Programs– Florida Medical Association will feature interviews in

its Florida Museum of Medicine and Public Health in Jacksonville, now in development.

– Raised profile of ROHP on and off campus

Grant funding

• State Library and Archives (LSTA grant)– Digital preservation agreement with FCLA– FSU provided 40 interviews for Florida

Electronic Library oral history pilot group

II. Oral History How-tos

Equipment selection

• Marantz PMD 660 and 670

• Good omnidirectional microphone

Sound quality

1. Recorder (preamp is important)2. Digital CD-quality audio: 44.1 KHz, 16-bit sample rate3. Recording Media (type of tape, CF card)4. Microphone (condenser/dynamic, omni/cardioid, etc.)

and cabling5. Power supply6. Environment

Sound quality examples

1. Analog tape recorded on Sanyo dictaphone/transcriber with Radio Shack microphone

2. Marantz PMD 670 with internal microphone, low bitrate, MP3 file format

3. Marantz PMD 670 with internal microphone, CD-quality audio in .wav file format

4. Marantz PMD 670 with quality microphone and CD-quality audio in .wav file format

Interviewing Techniques

• Do background research• Prepare list of questions but be flexible• Establish rapport with interviewee• Demonstrate equipment, explain structure of

interview• Assure interviewee that they are controlling the

interview (“60 Minutes” caveat)

Interviewing Techniques• Practice and get familiar with your equipment

before using it in the field!• Minimize environmental noise

– Turn off radios, computers, cell and telephones, heat/air fans

– Close doors, ensure no interruptions• Sound check

– Microphone placement, recording levels– Analog tape as back-up– Monitor with earbud phone

Interviewing Techniques

• Begin with easy, non-threatening questions

• Use short, open-ended questions

• May use documents and photos as catalyst for memory

Interviewing Techniques

• Guide but do not dominate interview (two-way process)

• Guard against inserting too much of yourself

• Ask follow-up questions

Types of questions

• Biographical • Big picture (e.g. where were you when?)• Tell me the story of . . .• Do you remember when you first met . . .• What was your role in . . .

After the Interview• Next steps

– Receive transcript, review for accuracy, sign release form, will receive/can request copy of transcript and/or recording

• Rights of interviewee– Can refuse to release or restrict access

• Potential uses of interview– Research, publications, websites

• Send written thank-you

Responsibilities of Interviewers

• Respect/sensitivity to identity, beliefs and perspective of interviewee

• Professionalism and technical competency (best possible recording)

• Protect interview against misuse

Legal Issues

• Release forms

• Defamation/sensitive issues

• Maintain sealed interviews

• Copyright