If you have yet to hear, we have been completely rewriting the code for OHMS, the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer, and we are incorporating the OHMS Application into the Aviary Platform on September 18, 2023 (https://www.aviaryplatform.com). I wanted to start this exciting conversation and offer details about the upcoming migration. This integration is a powerful step in…
There is a tremendous amount of attention placed on the numerous technical challenges involved when remotely recording oral history interviews; however, the logistical challenges can be of equal importance. One logistical challenge is the simple act of obtaining signatures for consent forms, release forms, or the interview deed of gift. When conducting in-person interviews, there…
We have launched a new development cycle for OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) that will have some minor and some major updates coming in the next few months. The first of the updates have been released. OHMS Viewer v 3.6.3 Improved footnote feature in the transcript view. Added search and hover features with footnotes. Disabled…
This post is about the Nunn Center’s release of the OHMS plugin suite for Omeka that integrates OHMS (the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) and Omeka in several powerful ways. But first, some historical context. A BIT OF HISTORY When I first designed OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) in 2008, I envisioned it working primarily for…
Creating verbatim transcripts can be challenging. My staff has had hours of discussion and debate about this over the years. A question recently came to me asking (paraphrased): Since the Nunn Center wants “verbatim” transcripts, how do you handle “gonna” versus “going to”? Do you use “’cause” with an apostrophe instead of typing “because”? Yes,…
There is no doubt that the podcasting movement has accelerated in the past few years, and I am an enormous fan of podcasts that relate to history. You will often find me with headphones on, and, more than likely, I am listening to one of my favorite podcasts. The podcast format/medium/platform is such a good…
A brief video documenting our journey to have Bourbon whiskey established as a Library of Congress Subject Heading. To quote the post from the Nunn Center’s blog, “Catalogers and metadata specialists around the world were forced to use the ambiguous and misleading term “Whiskey” to describe something that was declared by US Congress in 1964…
Here are some of my favorite digital tools that may prove useful for core aspects of the oral history process. I will be adding to this on a continuous basis, adding new tools and categories of tools periodically, so stay tuned. Many of these tools are tools we are actively using at the Louie B. Nunn…
First, to experience this post to the fullest extent, switch your browser to Chrome (for now), or watch the YouTube clip below on your smartphone using the YouTube mobile app. Trust me, it is cool. We talk a lot in oral history about “shared authority” and about co-creation. Oral history, by definition, involves, at minimum, an…
