Re: Oral History

Intertwined as it is with technological innovation, oral history seems
almost always to be at the point of transition. Today, many oral history
programs continue to use analog recording machines -- your standard cassette
tape recorders and store-bought cassettes. (I still rely on the Marantz that
I used in grad. school) Other programs use DAT machines, digital-audio-tape
recorders that are a step up in sound quality from the older analog
machines. The most common archival practice is to have recordings
transferred onto reel-to-reel tape, which remains as one of the best
archival formats for long-term storage. Transcriptions, too, are critical,
as they provide the finding aid for researchers who wish to make use of the
interviews. Increased access, as with many archival collections, is a
critical issue in building oral history collections.

You've hit the nail on the head... The big question now is the transition to
mini disc. The question that many programs face, however, is economic
feasibility. This technology is still cost prohibitive. Many community
museums, including my own, can't even begin to think about that route. Once
the price goes down, well-funded oral history projects will probably make
this transition.

As for visual media, there exists a noteworthy debate on its merits.
Certainly, the price of using video recorders has dropped dramatically in
recent years. The issue, however, is not so much cost, but effectiveness.
Many oral historians, myself included, often shy away from video taping
subjects because of the simple fact that the camera is more intrusive than
the tape recorder -- often resulting in a hesitancy of the interviewee to
open up to the questions and a failure to reveal the detailed personal
insights that are a hallmark of the oral history interview process. Also, is
the value of a talking head that much more historically significant than a
faceless voice?

Of course, the choice of what oral history equipment to use and the question
of audio or video depends largely on the parameters of the project and the
budget.

Noteworthy resources for oral history are the Oral History Association, the
Ellis Island Oral History Project, and the Columbia University Oral History
Program.


Nick Ciotola
Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania






-----Original Message-----
From: Kimb Giunta [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 2:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Speaking of Oral History...


Since we're kind of on the topic of oral history because of the question
about mini DV storage: What is the recording method that most people are
using these days for doing oral history?  Is mini DV taking over? Does any
one use Minidisc and then transfer it to cd? Are oral historians relying
more on visual media to make oral histories?

Kimb Giunta
Assistant Curator
Museum of Sex
233 5th avenue, Suite 3B
New York, New York 10016
Tel: 212.689.6337 ext. 111
Fax: 646.349.1333
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://nycsex.museumofsex.com

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