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In the words of our very own Troy Reeves, the OHA Annual Meeting offers a “yearly dose of sanity.” Whether you’re reading this while waiting for one of the panels to start, sitting this one out, or reflecting back on the excitement of the meeting later, we want to bring you a little taste of the fun. Below you can hear from a handful of oral historians on why they love the OHA Annual Meeting, as well as a look at social media activity during the conference.
Two weeks ago, we published the first part of an exchange between Henry Greenspan and Tim Cole. Below, they wrap up their conversation, turning to the intellectual difficulties of taking context into consideration. The issues they raise should be of interest to all oral historians, so we want to hear from you!
As you may have heard, Wisconsinites love the people who can quickly turn our spoken words into written text. Transcriptionists are the unsung heroes of the oral history world, helping to make sure the incredible audio information stored in archives across the globe is accessible to the largest audience possible.
In the spirit of Christmas (and in honor of our all-time-favorite daytime talk show host), our present to you is a list of some of our favorite things from 2015. We hope you enjoy reading our list as much as we did writing it.
In two weeks, as students across the United States are enjoying their Thanksgiving break, StoryCorps wants to give us all a bit of homework. Calling it the Great Thanksgiving Listen, they are asking high school students to use their mobile app (available in iTunes or Google Play) to “preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend.”
How readily someone may be understood when using a new word will depend on several factors: the intuitable transparency of meaning, its clarity in context, the receptiveness of the audience, and so on.
‘Territoriality’ plays a central role under our current paradigm of jurisdictional thinking. Indeed, a State’s rights and responsibilities are largely defined by reference to territoriality. States have exclusive powers in relation to everything that occurs within their respective territories, and this right is combined with a duty to respect the exclusive powers of other States over their respective territories.
This week, we’re bringing you another exciting edition of the Oral History Review podcast, in which Troy Reeves talks to OHR contributor Jessica Taylor.
This week, we’re pushing the boundaries a bit to bring you an interview with Dana Gerber-Margie, who publishes The Audio Signal, a “weekly digest about audio.” Troy and I are huge fans of the newsletter, as are Pop Up Archive and even the Wall Street Journal.
Over the last few months, we’ve had the pleasure of publishing thoughtful reflections, compelling narratives, and deep engagements with what it means to do oral history. Each post was written by a member of the oral history community who was willing to share their thoughts and experiences with all of us. We received an incredible response from our last call for submissions, so we’re coming back again to ask for more.
In recognition of Pride Month, we’re looking at some of the many oral history projects focused on preserving the memories of LGBTQ communities. The LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory is connecting archives across North America to produce a digital hub for the research and study of LGBTQ oral histories. The University of Chicago is cataloguing the history of students, faculty, and alumni for its “Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles” project. The University of Wisconsin – Madison continues to collect the histories of Madison’s LGBT Community, and has even prepared mini-movies to make the materials more accessible.
Ask anyone who has been to an Oral History Association annual meeting and they’ll tell you that one of the best parts of the conference is the people. The conference offers the chance to meet and learn from oral history veterans, as well as those just getting started in the field. This week on the blog, we’re highlighting the OHA mentorship program, which aims to help newcomers at the meeting to get the most out of the experience by partnering them with mentors. The program paired 47 mentors and newcomers at the 2014 conference, and hopes to connect even more people going forward.
Gone Grey, the follow-up for Fifty Shames of Earl Grey, was influenced by Gillian Flynn’s hit thriller, Gone Girl. The story follows the protagonist, Earl Grey, as he deals with the disappearance of his wife.
I sat down with Samantha Snyder, a Student Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives, to talk about her work. From time to time, the UW Archives has students test various voice recognition programs, and for the last few months Samantha has been testing the software program Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is an innovative way of processing oral histories, so we were excited to hear how it was going.
To start off, can you tell me a bit about the project you’re working on?
I started this project in June of 2014, and worked on it most of the summer. The interviews I transcribed included three sessions with a UW-Madison Teaching Assistant who participated in the 2011 Capitol Protests. There was some great content that was waiting to be transcribed, and I decided to dive right in. Each interview session was about fifty minutes.
I was asked to try out Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I had never heard of the software before, and was excited to be the one to test it out. What I didn’t realize is that there is quite the steep learning curve.
Sounds like it started off slow. What did it take to get the program working?
I spent quite a bit of time reading through practice exercises, which are meant to get the program to the point where it will recognize your voice. The exercises include things like Kennedy’s inaugural speech, children’s books, and cover letters. They were actually fun to read, but I knew I had to get down to business.
Yep, it allows you to slow down and speed up the interview, which I learned was absolutely necessary. With the programs finally up and running, I plugged in the start/stop pedal, opened a Word document and began. I immediately realized I had to slow the interview down to about 60% of its regular speed, because I was having a tough time keeping up.
Unfortunately, I think most oral historians are familiar with the drudgery of transcription. Do you think the program helped to make the process any easier?
The first interview session took me around five hours total to complete. This included editing the words and sentences that came out completely different than what I thought I had said clearly, and formatting the interview into its proper transcript form. During the first interview I tried using commands to delete and fix phrases, but I found it was easier to just going back through and edit after finishing the dictation. I was surprised at how long it took me to complete the first interview, and I was stressed that maybe this wasn’t worth it, and I should just listen and type without dictating.
For the second and third interview sessions, it became much easier, and Dragon began to recognize my voice, for the most part. It only took me around two hours to dictate and edit subsequent interviews, a much more manageable timeframe than five hours. I think using the pedal and Express Scribe made the process much easier, because I was able to slow down the interview as well as stop and start when needed. I definitely would recommend using similar products along with Dragon, because it does play audio but does not have the option to slow down or speed up the interview. Without the pedal and Express Scribe I think it would have taken me much longer! My pedal stopped working during one of my days working on transcribing, and it turned into a much more stressful process.
It sounds like the experiment was fairly success. Two hours to transcribe and edit a 50-minute interview doesn’t seem bad at all!
Overall I would say Dragon NaturallySpeaking is an innovative way to transcribe oral history interviews, but I wouldn’t say it is necessarily the most efficient. I would like to transcribe an interview of similar length by simply listening and typing to compare the amount of time taken, but I haven’t had a chance to do so yet.
Maybe we can get another review when you’ve had the chance to compare the methods. Any final thoughts?
I think I will still be transcribing by doing my old standard, listening and typing along with the recording. Speech recognition software is an innovative tool, but in the end there is still a long way to go before it replaces the traditional transcription process.
I’m sure we all look forward to the days when software can fully take over transcription. Thanks for your help, and for the excellent review!
If you’ve tried voice recognition software, or other creative oral history methods, share your results with us on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, even Google+.
Headline image credit: Listen. Image by Fe Ilya. CC BY-SA 2.0 via renneville Flickr.
Last April, we asked you to help us out with ideas for the Oral History Review’s blog. We got some great responses, and now we’re back to beg for more! We want to use our social media platforms to encourage discussion within the broad community oral historians, from professional historians to hobbyists. Part of encouraging that discussion is asking you all to contribute your thoughts and experiences.
Whether you have a follow up to your presentation at the Oral History Association Annual Meeting, a new project you want to share, an essay on your experiences doing oral history, or something completely different, we’d love to hear from you.
We are currently looking for posts between 500-800 words or 15-20 minutes of audio or video. These are rough guidelines, however, so we are open to negotiation in terms of media and format. We should also stress that while we welcome posts that showcase a particular project, we can’t serve as landing page for anyone’s kickstarter.
Please direct any questions, pitches or submissions to the social media coordinator, Andrew Shaffer, at ohreview[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also message us on Twitter (@oralhistreview) or Facebook.
Since we’re still recovering from eating way too much yesterday, Managing Editor Troy Reeves and I would like to sit back and just share a few of the things we’re thankful for.
Troy Reeves:
Wow! So many things I’m thankful for, such as family, friends, pie, turkey, cranberries (basically just about every food associated with Thanksgiving). Except the marshmallows on top the yams – don’t get it, don’t like it.
Oh, right, this post should focus on the oral history-related thankful things. Well, it still comes back to friendship. I have been blessed over my now 15 years in the Oral History Association in building a cadre (cabal?) of colleagues who double as friends. And I leaned on these people early on to help us build our presence on OUPblog.
From our first post (thanks Sarah) through our longest podcast (thanks Doug) and several in-between (looking at you Steinhauer – for both posts – Wettemann, Morse and Corrigan, and Cramer), I feel like Joe Cocker (or Ringo Starr): I “get by with a little help from my friends.” (And I did not mention the law firm of Larson, Moye, and Sloan who helped us tease the 2013 OHA Conference.)
Last but not least, I’m thankful and grateful for the social media work of Caitlin Tyler-Richards. Even though I have full faith in Andrew, your presence will be missed. But I can always return to your last post, when I need my Caitlin fix.
So, there you go. And in case you are wondering: Yes, I turned my part of this into a homage to the Simpson’s cheesy-clip show.
Andrew Shaffer:
As a recent addition to the Oral History Review team, and a recent transplant to Wisconsin, there are a tonofthings I’m thankful for.
First, I have to echo Troy in being thankful for Caitlin. She’s been immensely helpful in teaching me the social media ropes. #StillNotSureHowToHashtagProperlyThough
I’d like to name my favorite OHR blog posts, but there are just too many to list. I’m especially thankful, though, for people who are finding innovative ways to fund, record, and think deeply about oral history. It’s a privilege to be part of such an exciting field.
Thanksgiving feast, by StarMama. CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr.
I met some amazing oral historians at the recent Oral History Association Annual Meeting, and I’m very grateful to all the people who helped to put on such a great conference.
I’m thankful to Troy for giving me a second interview, even after I showed up two hours late to the first one. Protip: When moving from the West Coast to the Midwest, make sure you update your calendar to the correct time zone.
And lastly, I should mention that I’m very thankful for my friends and family, even though most haven’t heard from me in a while!
Last weekend we were thrilled to see so many of you at the 2014 Oral History Association (OHA) Annual Meeting, “Oral History in Motion: Movements, Transformations, and the Power of Story.” The panels and roundtables were full of lively discussions, and the social gatherings provided a great chance to meet fellow oral historians. You can read a recap from Margo Shea, or browse through the Storify below, prepared by Jaycie Vos, to get a sense of the excitement at the meeting. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some more in depth blog posts from the meeting, so make sure to check back often.
We look forward to seeing you all next year at the Annual Meeting in Florida. And special thanks to Margo Shea for sending in her reflections on the meeting and to Jaycie Vos (@jaycie_v) for putting together the Storify.
Headline image credit: Madison, Wisconsin cityscape at night, looking across Lake Monona from Olin Park. Photo by Richard Hurd. CC BY 2.0 via rahimageworks Flickr.
Dearest readers, I am sorry to say that the time has come for me to say goodbye. I have had a wonderful time meeting you all, not to mention learning more than I ever thought I would know about the fantastic field of oral history. However, grant applications and comprehensive examinations are calling my name, so I must take a step back from tweeting, Facebooking, tumbling and Google plusing (sure, why not).
Fear not, we have found another to take my place: the esteemable and often bow-tie-wearing Andrew Shaffer. I chatted with him earlier this week and I already think he’ll make a wonderful Caitlin 2.0. (For instance, Andrew originally wanted to introduce himself with the lyrics from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. A+.)
* * * * *
So, Andrew, tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, Caitlin, I am a first year PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying gender and sexuality history in a modern US context. I’m originally from Illinois, but lived in San Francisco for three years before coming to Madison. There I received an MA in International Studies and worked at a non-profit that provides legal resources and policy analysis to immigrants and immigration advocates.
Do you have any interests outside of school?
Honestly? Not really… But when I’m not thinking about school, I sometimes read, go on walks, or explore all the exciting things Madison has to offer.
That’s a little sad. But since you love school so much, I bet you have exceptionally exciting research interests?
I’m really interested in the ways LGBT activists have responded to political and social changes, and how their efforts have impacted the everyday lives of LGBT communities. Because of the incredible diversity among LGBT communities, I use intersectional approaches to better understand how various segments of our community are affected, or even created by these changes.
Oh, awesome! Do you use oral history or interviews in your research?
Absolutely! I had the good fortune to take a class on oral history methods in college, and I fell in love with it right away. Since then, I’ve been involved with multiple oral history projects, and I think it is one of the best tools available to preserve a community’s memories. Because I study the very recent past, I’m lucky to be able to use interviews and oral histories extensively in my research.
You’ll fit in just fine here then — perhaps even better than I did. Speaking of, what are you looking forward to about this position?
Thanks for noticing! I (and Troy) have worked hard to keep up with the latest trends in the field and to shine a spotlight on all the great work oral historians have been doing. Any concerns about taking over?
Definitely! Like most academic types, I find it easier to write 30 pages than 140 characters, but hopefully I’ll learn some brevity. You’ve done a really great job of preparing and sharing high quality posts through Oral History Review’s social media outlets, and I hope I can continue to provide an enjoyable experience for all of our followers!
I’m sure you’ll do great. Best of luck!
* * * * *
Andrew has already taken over all the social media platforms, so you should feel free to bombard him with questions at @oralhistreview, in the comments below or via the other 3 million social media accounts he now runs. He and I will also be at the upcoming annual meeting in October, so be sure to say hi — and goodbye.
Shaffer is the writer behind the Evil Wylie and Emperor Franzen Twitter accounts, and tweeted the news: “BREAKING: Hack writer sells 50 Shades of Grey parody.” Brandi Bowles from Foundry Literary + Media represented the author.
As E L James‘ erotica bestseller (which began as Twilight fan fiction) exploded in popularity, Shaffer began to field offers from publishers for his online parody. He described the process on his blog: “In addition to completing the first draft, I’ve also spent the past two weeks fending off publishers. At first it was easy to tell them to leave me alone. I’m an Artist. My Pure Vision will not be sullied by the dirty hands of commerce. Unfortunately, as the size of the McMansion that publishers dangled in front of me became progressively larger and more ridiculous, my Artistic Integrity slowly evaporated into the California sun…”
How much should an eBook cost? To give publishers and authors some guidance, we’ve collected spirited defenses of seven different eBook prices–choose the price that works best for your writing.
According to a new and unscientific poll, Nathan Bransford found that 51 percent of his readers thought eBooks should be priced between $5 and $9.99. What is your favorite price point?
$0.99 Novelist John Locke sold more than one million eBooks with this price point: “When I saw that highly successful authors were charging $9.99 for an e-book, I thought that if I can make a profit at 99 cents, I no longer have to prove I’m as good as them … Rather, they have to prove they are ten times better than me.”
Meet Harper Perennial editor Stephanie Meyers. She has blond hair, an obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and reserves her editing pen for nonfiction books, not writing vampire novels. If you look closely, you will see that her name is only two letters off from the name of Twilight‘s famous author.
However, if you want to find her on Google, you need to be very specific with your keywords. When asked if she would do an interview, the editor responded: “I’d love to talk to you about my name doppelganger situation—anything to reclaim a tiny piece of the Google search pie.” Our interview follows below…
Whether you have a follow up to your presentation at the Oral History Association Annual Meeting, a new project you want to share, an essay on your experiences doing oral history, or something completely different, we’d love to hear from you.
Andrew Shaffer 
How much should an eBook cost? To give publishers and authors some guidance, we’ve collected spirited defenses of seven different eBook prices–choose the price that works best for your writing.
Meet Harper Perennial editor
How readily someone may be understood when using a new word will depend on several factors: the intuitable transparency of meaning, its clarity in context, the receptiveness of the audience, and so on.
The post The AUTO- age appeared first on OUPblog.
‘Territoriality’ plays a central role under our current paradigm of jurisdictional thinking. Indeed, a State’s rights and responsibilities are largely defined by reference to territoriality. States have exclusive powers in relation to everything that occurs within their respective territories, and this right is combined with a duty to respect the exclusive powers of other States over their respective territories.
The post The concept of ‘extraterritoriality’: widely used, but misguided and useless appeared first on OUPblog.