Center for Technology & Innovation, Inc., 321 Water Street, Binghamton, NY 13901,
Telephone: 607-723-8600 email: info@ctandi.org
Recording a conversation for the Digital Scrapbook
History is the collection and interpretation of stories. We hope you will share yours. Recording a conversation for the Digital Scrapbook of Southern Tier Technology is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3.
1 - Sign a Spoken History Agreement form that gives CT&I permission to use the recording.
2 - Take a photograph of each speaker, either singly or in a group.
3 - Record the conversation.
Select a quiet place. Living rooms and other rooms with cushioned surfaces and rugs are ideal. Turn off as many appliances as possible; computers, air filters, and florescent lights add noise that will distract later listeners. Begin recording a conversation by performing a sound check. Ask each person to say their name and the date in a normal speaking voice. Replay to confirm that everyone can be heard easily; adjust volume and microphone location as needed. Don't record over the sound check, but keep it for the archival record, as this allows later listeners to identify who's who.
NPR Story Corps
Conversations are more interesting than monologues, so invite a couple of people to join in. Scrapbooks, photos, and other mementos are excellent conversation starters. Good questions include: Most interesting project? Co-workers? How did this differ from what was done before? Follow-up questions can be as simple as Oh? Really? Be attentive and respectful of silence.
A pause is often a time of reflection that will yield a wonderful tidbit of information, if you're patient. Keep conversations to about an hour or so, taking breaks as needed. Listen to the recording soon, so you can clarify questions while the memory of the conversation is fresh. .
A summary of the conversation is needed for the Digital Scrapbook. Your summary will better reflect the original intent than one prepared by someone unfamiliar with the people involved. A summary should include a timeline of the events discussed, a list of people and events mentioned, as well as names of companies, departments, locations, products and technologies. A brief biography of each speaker is useful, including birthplace and date, schooling, arrival in the Southern Tier, first and last jobs, and any special points of pride.
CT&I prefers audio to video recording. However, if the conversation involves vivid gestures that enliven the description, short videos are welcome. CT&I strongly recommends audio recording in digital format. Digital recorders with USB connections are available for $70 and up. Call CT&I to make arrangements to borrow a recorder or use the CT&I history listening post in Endicott. Quality recordings of telephone conversations are possible, with permission and a connector from Radio Shack.
If recording on tape, use the highest quality cassette tape available, marked Type I - Normal Bias or Type II - High Bias. Use only 60 or 90 minute cassettes; 30 minute tapes are too short and 120 minute tapes are thin and break easily. Use the fastest possible recording speed. Don't try to economize by doubling the recording time; the resulting tapes are difficult to convert to digital format. Clearly label cassettes with the date and names of the speakers. Store tapes in their plastic cases away from high heat, humidity, and electronic equipment, including computers and VCRs.
All story and document contributions to the Digital Scrapbook will be gladly accepted free of charge. Digital formats, listed below in bold, are preferred.
B/W photos, documents - Gray scale image files, 200-300 dpi, JPEG or TIFF format
Color photos, magazines, etc- 16 bit, 32 bit, or 64 bit color, 200-300 dpi, JPEG or TIFF
Audio and cassette tapes - Digital audio - MP3 or WAV format on CD-ROM or DVD.
Home movies and video tapes - Digital video, MPEG or RealPlayer format on DVD
It is also possible to lend material to CT&I to be digitized. Please call before sending.
