Document cassette labels before digitising interviews

Photograph the case, insert and cassette together. Record side A and side B separately, with a temporary name if neither has a title.

Photograph a cassette whose handwritten B label names two interviewees. The most helpful comparison preserves order. Use the source order for transcriptions and marks, and create a separate chronological or alphabetical view when it helps the reader. This lets you search a useful index while returning to the original arrangement if the relationship between adjacent items becomes important.

The spoken introduction may establish which name applies to the recorded discussion. Tie each observation to a place in the source, such as a page, side, timecode or corner of a frame. A record that says where a detail was found is useful even when the immediate interpretation changes. It also saves the next reader from starting the search again at the first page.

Mark approximate times for speaker introductions and long gaps. Store factual corrections in a separate field to retain the original wording.

A click or silence can mark an edit or tape handling. Finish with enough information to find the source and understand what you did to it. Include the identifier, location, date of inspection and the state of unfinished work. If the material could be shared more broadly later, keep a place for permission and credit information alongside its public description.

Make a timed note for the first audible change of speaker. Keep a note of anything you expected to see but could not establish. A missing date or an uncertain location is easier to revisit when your record says which part of the object you inspected. You can then look for uncovered details instead of repeating the same search on the same material.

Compare that sequence against the paper index without overwriting either. Write the date of observation separately from every date you infer from the object. A later reader should be able to distinguish when you read a mark from when you think it was made. This is especially useful if the record may be revised after you consult a clearer copy or a second person.

Use a short descriptive filename alongside your record number and keep the two linked. Avoid using the proposed interpretation as the only identifier. An uncertain author, place or date may change when someone sees an overlooked clue, but the connection between the item and earlier notes should remain easy to follow. Give one entry to a reader who has never handled the material. They should be able to find the source, distinguish your wording from its wording and see the reason for your conclusion. If they ask whether a detail came from the item itself or a later recollection, add that distinction where they first needed it. Create a record for an intentionally blank side so that listeners understand silence was checked instead of assuming it was skipped. Put alternative readings next to one another and give each the evidence it explains. If two records are linked by a common address or surname, look for an additional clue that belongs to the individual case. A repeated detail may be meaningful without being distinctive enough to establish the link on its own.

Keep the permissions and intended audience for each recording beside its catalogue record. Ask a reader to verify a small part of your work against the source without seeing your conclusion first. They may notice how a word, date or position was framed on the original. Add a separate note where two competent readers differ, so a later correction has somewhere to go without overwriting the earlier reasoning.