“How long will the recording process take?” We will record up to a total of three hours of your life story. The recording process may take as few as three visits or as many as eight visits. Our interviewer is patient and will help you organize your memories and direct the interview.
“Is it possible to collect a life story from someone with dementia or memory loss?” Yes it is, and we’ve had success with recording their memories. Patience and asking the right questions help. Very often, we’ve found that the older memories are safely stored and through interviewing we can retrieve them.
“My grand mother is bed bound and her voice is very weak.” We can use a small lapel microphone when recording her life story and the volume can be amplified during the editing process.
“My mom’s stamina is very low and she cannot record for long periods of time.” Our interviewer can visit multiple times and record for short intervals.
“I’m 93 years old with many, many memories! It’s overwhelming for me to imagine how I can organize my thoughts and put them onto a 3 hour recording!” Our experienced interviewer can meet with you and help you plan the recording process. We frequently remember our life experiences in a chronological pattern. Revisiting your early memories, school years, adulthood and life’s adventures chronologically can make those memories flow smoothly as the interviewer listens and helps you remember them during the recording.
“I’ve been begging my grandpa to record his stories for ages, and he doesn’t want to do it.” Consider showing him our brochure, and tell him that it’s really fun to record his story. Ask him to consider one visit from our interviewer. We think he will find that our interviewer will put him at ease, draw out his stories and he will enjoy the process…plus there’s the added advantage that you will stop begging him once he makes his recording!
“I want to be present when my husband records his life story.” Although we prefer to do the recording in a quiet atmosphere with just one person, if your husband wishes you to be there we welcome your presence. We invite you to try and remain silent and not prompt his memories during the recording process. We can return and record your life story at another time.
“Why not a video?” We prefer the audio recording, and we’ve found that most of our story-tellers do too. In this day of cell phone cameras there are many pictures available, but much less audio is available. Someone’s voice is an intimate part of their being. We’ve also found that the process of audio recording is much less invasive and intimidating than a video recording.
“My grandma lives in a convalescent facility, where it can be noisy and busy. Can you record her life story?” Yes we can. Although we prefer a quiet setting, it’s not always possible. Using a lapel microphone during the interview helps to cut out some of the ambient noises, and other interruptions can be removed during the editing process. A busy, noisy place isn’t the best environment for recording a life story, but we believe that not trying to record it would be worse.
“Do you transcribe the interview?” We offer the audio recording only, but we can direct you to computer software that can transcribe the audio to text.
“I have a filing cabinet full of my family’s genealogy. How am I ever going to transfer those memories onto a 3 hour recording?” It’s wonderful that you have so much information about your family history, and we love that it’s preserved! We like to say that ‘the files of data are the black and white part of a family’s history . . . the audio recording brings out the color.’ The birth dates, birth places and immigration documents are preserved in the filing cabinet, but we can record the unique personality traits or funny memories about family members. Those stories add life and color to the records in the filing cabinet.
“After I finish the recording, how do I get the finished product?” We offer your recording in two ways: (1) on a flash drive, or (2) by email/Google Drive. We ask for $10 if you choose your recording delivered on a flash drive. There is no charge for the email/Google Drive delivery option.
“Can I include pictures?” Yes, we will include a picture of your choice on the chapter booklet with your recording.
“Why are you doing this for free?” We love helping people record their life stories, and we appreciate the history that is preserved with each and every recording. We grew up listening to stories, and we still love listening to them! Have you ever heard the expression, “A library burns down every time someone passes away?” We believe this is true, and we are dedicated to the preservation of life stories. Our interviewing, recording and editing services are free and we do not accept donations. We ask for $10 to cover the cost of the flash drive, if you choose that delivery option for your recording. If you choose your recording to be delivered by email/Google Drive, there is no cost at all.