Formats

Compact Disc (CD)

Submitting your interview as a digital recording and your supporting documents in the proper format on a CD is strongly encouraged. Consider saving all files related to the interview to your computer hard drive so that together they can be burned to one CD at the same time. The interview recording should be saved using a .wav file extension or wave file format. (Note: There are many cheap file conversion software packages available on the internet that can be downloaded right to your computer). Including biographical information of the individual (about one or two paragraphs normally) although not required is encouraged. Photographs should be scanned at 400 dots per inch (dpi) and saved in .tiff format. Altogether each part of your submitted CD should have files in the following formats: the interview should be a wave file (.wav), photographs (.tiff), release form (.tiff), and the summary form in Microsoft Word (.doc).

Label the CD across the top using a Sharpie fine point permanent marker with the last name followed by the rank. Directly under that write the first name and middle initial. At the bottom simply write the date of the interview using a 3 letter abbreviation for the month, for example: 25 Jul 2006. When burning a CD, be sure to use CD creating software to make a “Data CD”. Double check that all data was successfully transferred and that the CD can be read by other computers before submitting it.

A note on archival issues: all CD submissions will eventually be copied onto other archival medium but the best medium to submit interviews with and to act as “use” copies is a standard CD.

Videotape

If videotaping an interview, if possible, please submit the recording on Mini-DV. Mini-DV is the standard in most modern camcorders and digital video (DV) is an acceptable archival format for its ease of use and high quality recording. Label the video with the last name and rank followed by the first name and middle initial. Also, write the date using a three digit abbreviation for the month; i.e. 25 Jul 2006. Submit all supporting documentation on the CD also if possible, and again label with identical information. If you wish to send VHS interviews, they will be accepted and accessioned into the collections, please follow the same rules for labeling.

Cassette

Oral History Section staff will have to convert any cassette recordings to a digital format and save it to CD so we strongly prefer that a digital format be used for sound files. If submitting cassettes, make sure to clearly label the cassettes with the last name and rank followed by the first name and middle initial. Also, write the date using a three digit abbreviation for the month; i.e. 25 Jul 2006. Please note: the USMC cannot accept micro-cassettes of any length.