The Western Historical Manuscript Collection has hundreds of oral history interviews
with a wide variety of individuals regarding various subjects. Many of these
interviews have been transcribed and will be added to those already on our web
site. Many of the interviews have not been transcribed and these are slowly
being transcribed.
The art of transcribing oral history is a combination of typing skills and historical knowledge. It can take over eight hours to transcribe one hour of tape. The transcriber may have to listen to a section of tape a dozen times to figure out what is being said. A background in history makes transcribing a lot easier as the transcriber can understand people, places and events because of their historical context.
WHMC-St. Louis has hundreds of oral history tapes that need to be transcribed. Many of these tapes are very old and in danger of deteriorating beyond use. Once the tape is gone the history is gone. Because of this problem WHMC has instituted the Adopt an Oral History Program. This program will allow supporters to fund the transcribing of an oral history. The ball park cost of transcribing one hour of tape is $120.00 to $275.00.
To adopt an oral history contact Zelli Fischetti at (314)516-5143 or Email at zelli@umsl.edu
WHMC would like to thank Raleigh Muns for his assistance in putting the transcripts
online.