The Unlocking Our Sounds Heritage project at the British Library is looking for Ontario naturalists to help enrich their wildlife audio collections!
A set of 36 cassette tapes recorded between 2006-2007 was sent to the library, capturing the sounds of wildlife in places like Algonquin Provincial Park, Claireville Dam and Backus Woods. They’re now looking for volunteers to transcribe the detailed field notes that accompany the audio, preserving them for future generations and opening up access for all.
If you love reading about nature and have ever wondered how wildlife recordists capture their audio then this is the project for you! The notes provide wonderful snippets about the recordist’s experience, such as his techniques for capturing a shy chorus of frogs and musings on the perseverance and patience of bird-watchers. The collection also provides valuable contextual data that help make sense of the recordings and are a repository of information – essential for the identification of species, monitoring changes in biodiversity and habitat conservation. By transcribing the notes you’ll be helping preserve this information for experts and amateurs alike.