digitize guidedly...

[phil cash cash]

While engaging in fieldwork with endangered language communities, it is often
hard not to notice or learn that large numbers of (mostly rare) analog language
recordings exist in local community/tribal governmental archives or family
collections.  Preservation is indeed urgent due to the unstability of these
materials (cassette tapes, open reel tapes, vinyl records, VHS, etc.).  There
is also a growing need to utilize these same analog recordings for language
revitalization purposes.  Thus, digitizing these analog materials often becomes
a high priority both for preservation and use.

Beyond these needs, however, there is little guidance on how such digitization
should proceed.  One nugget of audio info that most people should be aware of
is the E-MELD school set of best practices (just Google "How to Digitize Analog
Audio Recordings").

Here, the best practices model describe two end products that result when
transferring analog to digital formats: a digital master and a presentational
copy.  However, if you are like me, just getting a digital master from an
analog tape (or what have you) can be a challenging exercise.  So, thru trial
and error, a "digital master" is sometimes by far a relative term since it does
not magically appear on your computer saying "I am the master" (if it does then
it is something more serious!).  This experience may also be true of community
practitioners/community scholars/language advocates/educators who do not have
the same technical training as field linguists or even have access to the
recording/digital equipment to undertake such a task.

I am thinking that part of the solution may at least be collaborative or,
instead of best practices, we can say "guided best practices" where the in-situ
training of community practitioners is a prerequisite of all such language-based
field work.  Certainly some communities have their own expertise to carry out
such a critical task, but I would predict that this is not the case for most
endangered language communities.

So, be kind and rewind THEN digitize guidedly.

Phil Cash Cash (Cayuse/Nez Perce)
UofA