Other Resources

Memories are made all the time, but with passage of time and loss of family and friends, memories also are unmade and lost. An oral history is one way to preserve our shared memories. Anyone can record an oral history using handheld voice recorders, a computer with a microphone and the right program, or a smartphone and an app. These days most people have a smartphone handy, available for even unexpected occasions when the stories start to flow. Preserving Family Stories: Oral History on Your Smartphone (or Tablet) was a talk sponsored by the Franklin Township Historical Commission that explained how to use your phone to record oral histories. The slides from that talk were intentionally made highly detailed so that they could be used as a how-to guide. They are available as 42- and 21-page PDF files. The only difference between the two files is that there are two slides to the page in the 42-page version, and four slides per page in the 21-page version. If you want to consider using a handheld voice recorder instead of a smartphone, the Wirecutter or another online consumer guide can offer suggestions.