Oral History Archive

Open for business!

This page will tell you about accessing the archive and what it contains. If you have any queries, please email on the new address

Locating the Archive

The archive is available at the following libraries:

• Turriff Public Library , Grange Villa, The Square, Turriff, AB53 4AE; Tel: (01888) 562539
• Turriff Academy Library, Victoria Terrace, Turriff, AB53 4EE; Tel: (01888) 563216
• Meldrum Community Library, Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, AB51 0NT; Tel: (01651) 871307
• Ellon Public Library, Station Road, Ellon, AB41 9AE; Tel: (01358) 720865
• Ellon Academy Library, Schoolhill, Ellon, AB41 9JS; Tel: (01358) 720715

and at these two research institutes

• Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, MacRobert Building, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 5UA - Tel: (01224) 272996

(Contact: Dr Thomas McKean) t.a.mckean@abdn.ac.uk

• North East Folklore Archive, Aden Country Park, Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, AB42 5FQ - Tel: (01771) 623938

(Contact: Gavin Sutherland) arc@enterprise.net (online index & summaries available soon)

Extent of the Archive

The archive consists of 96 interviews on CD; some interviews have two disks due to extended length

Searching the Online Index & Summaries

Now you can search the index - click here to open the spreadsheet. Use the CTRL+F function in Excel to search for names and places

You can also search through the summaries of the 96 interviews. Click on here to open. This is helpful for deciding which one to listen to if you're researching a topic. This document is in PDF format and downloadable; you can search it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader's search controls. You will require to have the Reader installed on your computer - go to www.adobe.com and download the free reader.

These documents are available at the libraries in hard copy or electronically

Search the Aberdeenshire Council's library catalogue to access individual copies - they are listed by area and interviewee name, also giving length of interview and extent of disks.

Accessing the Archive

Each collection has a general index in a paper copy, and also a paper copy of summaries for each interview

• Ask Library staff to see the index
• Choose a CD to listen to
• Library staff should be able to let you listen to the CD on a computer or CD player in the library
• Take away a copy of a paper transcript if you require it

As of May, library staff will have an electronic copy of the index which they can do keyword searches on to help you find material in relation to research etc;

From May also, each library will have transcripts which can be printed off for your research use

Archive Restrictions

• All material is COPYRIGHT to the Formartine Partership & the interviewees
• Interviewees gave their stories on the understanding that they were only to be used for reference in libraries and schools and have selected clips used on the Internet, therefore the CDs CANNOT be loaned out.
• If you are part of a heritage society that was involved in the project, your group will be given copies of their own interviews to use
• However, if you are a family member, or a primary school teacher in Formartine, you can request a copy on CD of interviews subject to the discretion of the Partnership

Some Statistics

• Consider that a standard compact disk holds 70 minutes of sound, therefore a 90 minute interview will need to be spread over two disks
• There are a total of 108 CDs in the collection - resulting in about 7000+ hours of interviews!
• To transcribe 72 interviews (which was the original target figure) it took over 30,000 hours! (which if one person did it, would take 3.5 years non-stop!)
• There were 14 helpers in the transcribing
• There were 756 jewel cases used to contain CDs for the 7 copies of the archive (including NEFA's archive copy)
• There were 756 face labels on the CDs
• There were 756 index tags on the jewel cases
• One archive alone takes an average of 6.25 hours to copy - so x7=43.75 hours to copy all the sets (around 2 days non-stop, it actually took about 2 weeks)
• 12 groups were involved in the interviewing
• 14 minidisk recorders were used
• and a vast number of minidisks which were recycled!!