Activating Your Oral History Collections: Open-Source Tools and Techniques for Modern Archives
Presenter: Mark Boas
Date/Time: Tuesday September 30, 2025 from 10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Zoom
Description:
Join media technologist Mark Boas for a practical workshop on transforming oral history collections into dynamic, accessible resources. Drawing from his experience developing platforms and tools, Mark will demonstrate cost-effective transcription workflows, including AI-powered tools and community-driven approaches that work within tight budgets.
Participants will explore open-source software solutions for managing transcript-based media, learn about free tools that enable public remixing and engagement with collections, and discover ways to make oral histories searchable and shareable. The session covers the entire pipeline from initial transcription to public access, with hands-on demonstrations of transcription tools, interactive transcript technologies, and repository platforms. Perfect for librarians, archivists, oral historians, and anyone managing spoken word collections who wants to maximize impact while minimizing costs.
Speaker Bio:
Mark Boas is a media technologist pioneering accessible spoken word content through web-based audio and video solutions. As CTO of TheirStory Inc, he leads the technology behind the oral history platform trusted by prestigious institutions including the Los Angeles Public Library, 92NY, Cornell University, and The America 250 Foundation. Mark co-founded Trint, the automated transcription platform that transformed how organizations handle audio and video content, and Hyperaudio, which develops groundbreaking interactive transcript technologies. He also created jPlayer, an open source web-based audio and video player used by millions worldwide.
Mark's expertise in media innovation has been sought by major news organizations including Al Jazeera and the BBC, where he helped reimagine how audiences engage with audio and video content. Awarded an Open News Fellowship by the Knight Foundation and Mozilla, he remains committed to open source development, collaborating closely with non-profits to ensure spoken word archives remain searchable, shareable, and preservable for future generations. His work focuses on breaking down barriers between audiences and audio content, making oral histories and media collections accessible to all.
