Why do we record oral histories and sounds?

For some it's because they believe it's a simple way to record information so that it's not lost forever. For others it's because some experiences are hard to document in writing...

Many experiences that can't be conveyed in any other way-the sound of a bird call, the noise of a train rumbling through town, a person's accent and the cadence with which they speak-these are intimate and often personal details that can't be shared unless they are recorded.

But when history is recorded it becomes difficult to share and often difficult to access. Libraries, archives, and historical societies throughout the country hold hours and hours of oral histories. By creating Sound Model: A Digital Infrastructure for Delivery of Digital Audio, the CDP-with the support of IMLS-hopes to create a model for the dissemination of this work. With advances in technology we believe we can finally offer a way to access these resources-some for the very first time.

What you'll discover in The West Out Loud is that the story of the West can be told with sound and images.

You'll hear natural noises, voices, music, industrial sounds-sometimes all at the same time. The challenge is to listen as intently and glean history as we look at images.

Is there another person present? Do you hear any background noise? What clues does that noise offer about the environment in which this was recorded? Was this captured outside? Why did someone make the effort to record this? Why is it interesting and what clues does it offer to understand the West as a place? How formal or informal is the interview and why?

When you only have a soundtrack to tell a story we believe you will listen harder.

So sit back and hear The West Out Loud.