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From: "Gilbert Neil Capot-Blanc" <>
Subject: [TMG] Re: New User - Citing Sources
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 02:28:40 -0600


On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 12:16:01
Tom Malek wrote:
>Lee recommended a footnote for the Interview Source Type (see below).
>
>On my interviews, I audio tape the conversation and then later listen to the
>tape and "distill" the "pearls of genealogical data" by entering and saving
>the selected data to my word processing program and then printing it out for
>my file(s).
>
>Thus I have 2 sources - the comprehensive tape and the digested typed notes.
>Do I cite both sources? The recommendation below is for the written notes.
>What would be the (FF) for the audio tape?
>

Chuck Wolfram Wrote
April 30, 2003 3:37 PM

I would say you only have one--Interview. Both Lackey and Mills presume that the interview will be taped and that you will transcribe the notes later, keeping the transcript in your files, referring to it for your genealogy. Lackey wrote (CITE, p. 82) "It is a general practice to transcribe oral interview from tape recordings." He then warns about transcription errors. He also provides citation models when the interview isn't transcribed. Mills talks about the reliability of the sources involved, but treats the transcript of an interview as the source interview.

Chuck Wolfram

I would agree you only have one -- Interview. I have conducted 150 interviews with elderly members from various communities within north-western Canada, namely Alberta and British Columbia. I normally use a digital camera and for back up I also make a audio cassette recording as well, just in case the digital camera malfunctions. I have a Commissioner of Oaths affirm each person I interview to insure reliability. As soon as the interview is over I ensure that the interview is secure and locked up. I make two VHS copies. One for a working copy - transcription. The other for the elder. The original DVC tape is locked away. Most of the interviews run between two hours. On average I end with about 28 pages per interview. All the interviews I conducted started out with a lot of questions on family genealogy.

Gilbert, Alberta Canada

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