Dear Donia,
How do I digitize old records?
Q. Dear Donia,
My father fought in WWII in the Pacific. When he returned from the war, he recorded the things he went through on both sides of two 33-1/3 records in 1944. Over the years one of the records got broken and the other is cracked. I have no idea what is on them, and he didn't want to talk about the war after that. Is there some way to get the information off the records? I think there could be some interesting history on them. Thanks, Phyllis
A. Dear Phyllis,
You are in luck! There is a way to digitize groove audio that has been broken. There is IRENE, a non-contact way of digitizing audio. The only location I know that provides this service to the public is the Northeast Document Conservation Center just north of Boston, MA (Audio Preservation with IRENE). You can find out more information on the process and how to get your father's records scanned so you can hear about all the experiences he was reluctant to speak about once he returned.
.