Open-Source Based Solutions for Processing, Preserving, and Presenting Oral Histories

Mark I. Greenberg, University of South Florida
Barbara I. Lewis, University of South Florida
Richard R. Bernardy Jr., University of South Florida

Abstract

For more than a decade, the University of South Florida Library's Oral History Program has sought to develop cost-effective, open-source solutions to improve workflow management, increase public access, and preserve oral history collections. Recently, it established two open-source solutions to meet these goals. Bull-OH-Base enables Oral History Program staff to manage its many oral history projects and associated data in a secure and efficient manner. OHPi (its oral history player interface) offers researchers the ability to access and search its collections through a web-based application that synchronizes audio and video files with a full-text transcript. USF continues to improve upon its oral history technologies and seeks partners to share in further developing and utilizing these tools.