|
Sound Recordings and Oral History [by Laura Coles, 1988]
Sound recording emerged as a new technology in 1877, when Thomas Edison demonstrated his newly invented cylinder-recording process. Today, sounds, Music, and voices can be recorded and played on phonograph records, cassette, reel-to-reel or eight-track tapes, even on compact discs using laser technology. How do you acquire, appraise, arrange, or describe sound recordings? How are they preserved and stored? And should you develop an oral history programme, an increasingly popular part of archival work?
Sound recordings can come to the archives as part of larger collections, as the result of a community oral history programme, and individually as recordings of special events, celebrations, or presentations. Ask the local radio station for their broadcast recordings. identify local musicians, songwriters, or storytellers who might have had their works recorded. Speak to local anthropologists or native studies groups for information about recordings of stories, rituals, or songs. Find out about any oral history programmes in the community — by schools, churches, historical societies, museums, libraries, or individuals — and acquire copies of their recordings and transcripts.
Another way to obtain sound recordings is to produce them yourself. if you have the time, funds, and equipment, you can go into the community and record special events, such as community anniversary speeches, graduation ceremonies, or historical society lectures. Consider also recording special sounds, such as the town's noon whistle, the church bells, or the daily train. Preserve the sounds along with written documents or photographs about that particular object. You may also wish to develop an oral history programme, preserving the reminiscences and stories of various people in your community on tape. (Oral history programmes are discussed below.)
When acquiring or creating sound recordings, remember to appraise them for their archival value, as discussed in Chapter 3. Are the recordings of people or events related to your community? Were they created within the time span of your archival mandate? Are the recordings identifiable and is there any supporting documentation to go with them?
Once you have appraised the sound recordings and determined which to acquire, you can assign accession numbers. As with other archival material, sound recordings first receive the accession number of the original acquisition. Then individual recordings can be numbered consecutively within the accession, perhaps with a prefix SR to indicate "Sound Recording." Items can be further identified by type, such as cassette or phonograph record, if necessary. Place in an acid-free folder any accompanying documentation, such as transcripts, interview release forms, worksheets, or other correspondence. Mark the folder with the same accession number as the relevant recording. Keep this material in accession order in a file cabinet or box marked "Sound Recording Documentation" or simply file it with the accession record.
Within each accession, sound recordings may be arranged by physical type, such as records, cassettes, or reel-to-reel tapes. Always retain original order whenever it exists. If there are many items in a collection, they can be ordered chronologically or simply numerical ly. Remember to keep together items in a series, such as an interview recorded on more than one tape.
Sound recordings are described according to the standards outlined in Chapter 5. Include the following descriptive elements (remember to include the accession number):
Title of recording
Name of artist, composer, speaker, interviewee, or informant
Date of recording
Publication information, if published (including place of publication, name of publisher, date of publication, and edition)
Physical description (including form of recording, physical extent, playing time, and other information such as playing speed or physical dimensions)
Also include any of the following elements, if relevant (see Chapter 5 for information):
Whether the items are originals or copies
Biographical or historical information
Scope and content notes
Arrangement
Provenance
Source or donor
Restrictions
Copyright
Availability of finding aids
Physical condition
Also add any information directly related to sound recordings, including other available recordings and any accompanying material (such as books or booklets, photographs, lyric sheets, and so on).
Main entry cards are filed according to the name of the creator: the composer (music), the author (spoken text), or the speaker (oral history). Sound recordings and oral history may be indexed by the names of performers, the type of music, the subject of oral history recordings, or the place where recordings were made. Base subject headings for sound recordings on your standardized subject headings list, adding terms related to sound recordings. A list of terms might include:
Bands
Broadcasts
Concerts
Folksongs
Musical Revues
Orchestras
Sound Effects
Voices
The recommended standards for the description of sound recordings are Michael Gorman and Paul W. Winkler, eds., Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2d ed. (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1978), Chapter 6: "Sound Recordings," pp. 144-63, and Jean Weihs et al, Non-book Materials: The Organization of integrated Collections, 2d ed. (Ottawa: Canadian Library Association, 1979).
Much of the value of sound recordings is in their audio quality. A partially erased cassette tape or a broken record is of limited use. Restoring sound recordings usually involves techniques beyond the capacity of most archives, but there are several basic activities that will prolong the life of any recording.
Consider the following guidelines:
Specific types of sound recordings
Phonograph discs first appeared in the late 1800's and were made of zinc, vulcanized rubber, shellac, wax, even aluminum, before vinyl and polystyrene 45 and 33 1/3 rpm records became common in the 1950's. Today, discs are made with rapidly advancing digital, electronic, and laser technology.
Consider the following guidelines when caring for phonograph discs:
Although a system for magnetic sound recording had been developed as early as the 1890's, it was not until after the Second World War that magnetic recording, first on wire, then on tape, became popular. Tapes have been made in different widths and lengths and with different types of bases, such as paper, cellulose acetate, and today's standard, mylar-base tape.
Consider the following guidelines when caring for cassette and reel-to-reel tapes:
Cylinders, first invented in 1877 and popular into the 1920's; wire recordings, developed just before the Second World War; and digital sound recordings, the newest audio technology, are different types of sound recordings requiring special handling and conservation. Few small archives will encounter these different items. Store cylinders or wire recordings vertically and contact a specialist about their care. Keep digital recordings in their original containers and store carefully.
|
Establishing an oral history programme
One of the most popular forms of sound recordings for archives is taped oral history interviews. Many small archives include an oral history programme as part of their outreach activities. These programmes serve not only to preserve the reminiscences of different people in the community but also to raise the archives' profile and raise public awareness of and interest in other archival activities.
Consider the following questions about an oral history programme:
Next, consider the equipment necessary for conducting oral history interviews. You need good quality recording equipment, whether reel-to-reel tape recorders or more portable cassette recorders. The tape recorder should include the following features:
Pause button
Volume control
Digital tape counter
Recording light
Battery and plug-in power
Clean the heads of the tape recorder after every eight or ten hours of playing or recording and before any interview.
You will also need a good quality microphone, one which picks up the voices of both the interviewer and interviewee with a minimum of background noise. The microphone may be mounted on a stand, with a rubber pad or cushion underneath to minimize vibration. You will have to test each speaker to judge the quality and volume of his or her voice, placing the microphone nearby or far away. Other types of microphones include clip-ons, which are easy to place and less conspicuous, and boom-mounted microphones, which provide good quality sound but can be bulky, awkward, and intimidating.
Some archivists decide whom to interview, then determine what to ask them; others decide what they want to know, then find out whom to talk to. Consider who in the community would make an interesting and informative subject. Canvass not only community pioneers and prominent politicians but also members of ethnic groups, long-time employees of a local business, organizers of community events or celebrations-anyone who might provide interesting and relevant information about your community or area. You might organize an interview around one person, as a taped autobiography, or you might interview several people about a particular topic or theme.
Once you have decided on a particular person or theme, research the topic or time period as much as you can. Read books and articles and study relevant information. Formulate a list of possible questions. Contact the potential interviewee, first in writing, then in person. Make an appointment for a preliminary interview, during which you can determine if the person is suitable for a taped interview and what kind of information he or she might offer. At the same time, the potential interviewee has a chance to ask questions about the taping process and the use of the recording. He or she can then decide whether or not to be interviewed and if there are any subjects he or she would rather discuss or avoid. Take notes during the preliminary interview and use these notes and your background reading to prepare a list of questions to be asked during the taped interview. Remember to obtain as much information as possible about the interviewee, including ful I name, place and date of birth, family background, occupation, current residence, and so forth.
Before you begin the actual interview, check the equipment carefully to ensure it is working properly. Make sure the interview takes place in a site where the interviewee is comfortable and at ease. Avoid loud clocks, telephones, and outside noises; rooms with carpeting and curtains are best. Try to get the interviewee alone, so that other people will not add to the conversation, disrupt the recording session, or distract the speaker.
Begin the interview by starting the tape, letting it run for a couple of seconds, then introducing yourself and the interviewee. Identify the place and date of the interview and any other relevant information. Ask the questions you have prepared but allow the speaker to add details or other information. Bring him or her back on track if the conversation strays too far from the original subject of the interview.
Refrain from adding comments yourself, and let your physical attitude and position encourage the speaker (rather than say "uh huh," for example, simply nod your head). The less extraneous noise on the tape, the better.
Keep an eye on the recorder to ensure it is working properly and the tape has not run out. Pause occasionally if the interviewee looks tired or strays off the subject; allow time to rest. Avoid interviewing people for long periods of time. It is better to conduct several shorter sessions than one long one. A one-hour recording session is usually enough, since each hour on tape may take up to three hours to record. As you near the end of the interview, allow the interviewee to add any last comments. You might consider taking one or two photographs of the interviewee to add to the file in the archives.
After the interview is over, complete an interview release form, indicating the archives' ownership of the tapes and including any restrictions requested by the interviewee. Explain the meaning of these forms to the interviewee during the preliminary interview, so he or she understands the content and significance. Whenever possible, offer to make a copy of the tape for the interviewee. As soon as possible, write a formal letter of thanks to the interviewee.
Once you return to the archives, complete an interview information form as soon as possible. This form identifies the tape number, name and address of the interviewee, name of interviewer, date, place, and title or subject of interview, physical description of the tape, and a summary of main subjects. The sooner you complete this form, the more information you will remember from the interview itself. However, double check with the tape itself to find any subjects you might have missed and to add time markers (indications of where in the interview a subject appeared), if desired.
Once you have completed the interview, the release forms, and the interview information form, file all this information in an acid-free folder. Remember also to complete an accession record for the tapes of each oral history interview; add the accession number to all other forms. File the documents in accession number order with your accession records. Label each tape and its container with the accession number. Store the tapes in accession order number with your other cassette or reel-to-reel tapes.
| TIP: Transcription, the production of a verbatim typescript of the interview, is an extremely time-consuming and expensive activity. It can take eight hours or more to transcribe and edit a one-hour recording. As the tape is the primary document, transcriptions are a convenience for researchers, not a necessity. Few archivists can afford the time to produce transcriptions, and they would be better off providing thorough interview documentation and good tape summaries. |
Sample main entry card for sound recordings
Sample index cards for sound recordings
Sample main entry card for oral history
Sample index cards for oral history
Sample interviewee release form
Sample interview information form
|
|
