Diffusion: Digital Media and the Internet's Effect on Oral History
From OHA Wiki
The use of the internet as means of broadening the public's ability to access oral histories is a powerful tool. However, the argument about technology is utilized by both sides of the debate. Written transcripts can be downloaded from the internet, read from books, or copied. One advantage to having a transcribed interview is that there is no additional software, multimedia viewer, or codec to download to be able to experience the personal oral history. The obvious drawback to this argument is that physical copies also have limitations. For instance, physical copies can be damaged and may pose limitations that restrict the number of people that have access to them. Secondly, transcription alone is created between an interview and the final text that represents it.
The increasing commonplace of digital technology in the home and workplace is quickly making the diffusion of digital media a necessity. The World Wide Web and computer technology has encroached upon TVs and cell phones, and has become a dominant research resource. This has made the coupling of video and sound easier than it has ever been before. Ultimately, the best case scenario is to have both a recording of the interview in audio or video format as well as a written transcript. Having both versions can be helpful in a variety of ways. If the recording is muffled or indiscernible the researcher can simply look at the transcript to decipher what was said. On the other hand, if the transcript is unclear or more analysis is needed, the researcher can listen to that portion of the recording to get a fuller picture or sentiment of the narrator. The Museum of London has embraced both aspects of interviews and includes both recordings and transcripts on their website. The collection “contains more than 5000 hours of recorded life story interviews” with everyday occurrences of the London population.1 Not all of the recordings have a transcript available for download, but most interviews are paired with their corresponding .pdf or .doc file.
It is important to remember that there are legal concerns when it comes to the internet, specifically those related to copyright and privacy. In most cases, the copyright of an oral history is held by the sponsoring institution.2 However, the legal status of each interview is determined when both the interviewer and interviewee sign release forms at the time of the interview. This copyright issue can often be a reason why an institution will choose not to place a complete oral history interview on the internet. The Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project houses all of their interviews on the internet for public use, but the project requires all participants to sign a variety of release forms to relinquish all legal control over the interview and transcript.3 Privacy is also a major concern because interviews are extremely personal and institutions do not want the interviewees to become incensed for any reason.
Continue this debate here Accessibility: Tools That Allow New Perspective
Related Pages
The Debate Over Transcription: Arguments for Transcription
The Debate Over Transcription: Arguments Against Transcription
Diffusion: Digital Media and the Internet's Effect on Oral History
Accessibility: Tools That Allow New Perspective
The Debate Over Transcription: Possible Conclusions
References
1 Museum of London, “Life Stories & Oral History,” Museum of London, http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/1700Today/Life-stories-oral-history.htm.
2 Fogerty, “Oral History and Archives,” 222.
3
Veteran’s History Project, “Indexing and Transcribing Your Interviews – Project Kit,” The Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/vets/transcribe.html.
