Volunteering & Volunteer Students

Today, we’re live in Acomb hosting an intimate workshop with another York voluntary organisations, Oral History Society at the Acomb Explore Centre.

We’re doing a tutorial on how to use the Zoom H2 – the group do lots of exciting interviews concerning the city’s history in and around the area on audio and in text, so we’re trying to offer them an accessible way of recording and editing their interviews.

The great thing about this group is that they are an accessible and friendly access-point for the community with research a documents archived in the York Central Library (to open again to the public in two months). The society (which formed in 1982) is a registered charity and community group dedicated to York’s vibrant background. They have collected over 500 recordings, transcripts and around 4,000 photographs. The organisation deals with essential subjects like entertainment, work, domestic life and of course, York’s vibrant pub scene and the buzz that has always surrounded areas like Walmgate, The Shambles and Fishergate. These topics are translated back in to the community in the form of books (for example ‘York Memoirs At Home‘), workshops and talks.

The group are currently going through the process of getting all of their work digitised – you can see examples on the official website here.

Colm (our resident broadcaster) is hosting the workshop with two other volunteers for support.

If anyone else is interested in using the H2 for recording professional interviews get in touch or check out our worksheet at this link.

Thanks to Acomb Explore and York’s Oral History Society for chatting to us.

Dom and all at Explore Media