Becoming a volunteer.
Individuals who express an interest in volunteering will be matched where possible with an interest they may have.
Volunteering opportunities include oral history recording or the transcription of existing interviews.
Volunteers will be assigned a programme of interviews. This will involve meeting with respondents and asking them questions about their lives and their experience of work.
Volunteers may also come forward with a proposal to record a group of respondents that they have already identified: a particular trade, industrial concern or local business with whom they have connections for instance.
The Trust will offer support in getting started on any recording project, by scoping out the theme or industry to be covered, agreeing a proposed number of interviews, setting the criteria and the need for the project eg by determining if the chosen industry has already been the subject of an oral history project in the past and may already be well represented in Scotland’s audio archives – or if it will be filling a gap in our oral record.
The Trust will assist the volunteer in publicizing an appeal for contributors, through the Trust website and newsletter, and other media.
Relationship with the Trust
The Trust will assess the proposed volunteer’s experience in oral history gathering, through evidence of previous activity or a proven track record. If required the Trust will support the volunteer’s training in oral history recording.
The Trust can arrange to lend to the volunteer a digital audio recorder.
The Trust will meet appropriate expenses incurred in the recording project. The volunteer would be asked to make the most cost effective travel arrangements.
The Trust would not be in a position to pay a mileage rate for private car use, but would cover actual petrol costs.
Volunteers will be protected by the Trust’s liability insurance and should familiarize themselves with the Trust’s Volunteer Policies.