The Digital Transformation of Yale's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Apr 25, 2024

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Host Chris Lacinak is joined by Stephen Naron, Director of Yale's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies to take a look at how the archive was founded and the journey it has taken from analog tapes and paper to global streaming access using searchable synchronized transcripts and beyond.

We discuss the technical details behind the systems and processes they use today to make these testimonies accessible to researchers, Holocaust survivor family members, faculty, and students around the world. We discuss the decisions they have had to make about who, when, where, and how these testimonies can be watched and the methods they use to support this through technology.

We touch on why and how the Fortunoff Archive has created a unique path that is distinct from that of other Holocaust testimony archives, and we discuss the fact that there is still no single place where people can search across all of the Holocaust testimony collections.

With Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 6th, join us as we take a look inside how the Fortunoff Archive leverages digital asset management practices, skills, and technologies to ensure that the people and the stories behind these testimonies are honored and remembered.

Guest Bio:

Stephen Naron has worked as an archivist/librarian since 2003, when he received his MSIS from the University of Texas, Austin. Stephen pursued a Magister in Jewish studies/history at the Freie Universitaet Berlin and the Zentrum fuer Antisemitismusforschung, TU. Stephen has worked with the Fortunoff Archive for more than 12 years, starting as an Archivist. Now, as director of the Fortunoff Archive, Stephen works within the wider research community to share access to our collection through the access site program, as well as writing and presenting on testimony for conferences, symposiums and class sessions inside and outside Yale. Stephen is also responsible for spearheading initiatives such as preservation and digital access to the collection; cooperative projects with other testimony collections; oversight of fellowship and research programs; and the production of the podcasts, ethnomusicological recordings, and the Archive’s documentary film series.

Connect with Stephen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stepnar/

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Topics discussed in the episode:

Introduction and Background of Stephen Naron
History of Yale's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
The Digital Transformation of the Archive
Testimony Transcripts and Indexes
Challenges and Strategies in Archiving Sensitive Content
Ethical Considerations in Providing Access to Testimonies
Other Archives and Collections of Holocaust Testimonies
Educational and Outreach Initiatives of the Fortunoff Archive
Future Directions in Archival Practices and Technologies
Collaborative Efforts Among Holocaust Testimony Archives
Content Authenticity and Holocaust Denial
Why the Work of the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies is Important

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