Donated Technology Helps StoryCorps Capture America's Oral History
The mission of StoryCorps, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit, is to record the oral histories of Americans. The organization has recorded and archived more than 500,000 stories based on 30,000 interviews with more than 60,000 participants.
The collected stories offer glimpses into the lives of Americans from all walks of life. There are stories of love, heartbreak, war, and family, covering the gamut of the human experience. The majority of StoryCorps' 80 staff members are located in Brooklyn, but the organization also has recording booths in Manhattan, Atlanta, and San Francisco. In addition, the StoryCorps Mobile Booth tours the country.
The stories can be heard on the StoryCorps website (storycorps.org) and on National Public Radio. StoryCorps deploys software donated by Microsoft and other companies to record and catalog its oral histories, and to get the word out about the organization. Adobe Creative Suite, for example, is used to craft flyers, postcards, business cards, and web graphics. Microsoft Office and Adobe products are used to develop books containing edited collections of stories. Two of StoryCorps' most recent titles are Listening is an Act of Love and Mom.
