Define Your Why
- Define Your Why
Become a Lore Mapper
Follow these steps to plan your interview, record the stories, and post your Chat Map
What ignites your passion for capturing this story?
Is it a school project?
Do you yearn to connect with a neighbor or family member on a deeper level?
Perhaps you aspire to make a positive impact in your community.
Identifying your purpose and keeping it at the forefront will guide you throughout the interview process.
Your objective is to guide the conversation and elicit their experiences.
Listen attentively, posing questions to steer the dialogue towards your objective or to keep them engaged in storytelling.
Remember, you are not conducting a survey, but an interview. Use your questions to help your storyteller keep talking. Some storytellers have plenty to say and you will not get to some of your questions.
What subjects are you studying in the neighborhood where you are researching?
Click here and follow the instructions on the next page to customize your question list. Be sure to copy good questions to your consent form below.
Note! If your class has a set of questions from your teacher, use those questions
Who holds the key to unlocking the story you seek?
Is it a wise elder in your family or a neighbor who has witnessed the neighborhood's transformation over time?
Reach out and connect with them!
Explain your goal (remember your "why" from the previous section) and how their participation can be instrumental in bringing your project to life.
Explain your storyteller's rights.
Their story is their own intellectual property, and you're simply recording it.
They have the right to opt-out at any point, without explanation or pressure.
Information you will need before you create your consent form:
- Your email address
- Your project name
- Your class name
- Your teacher's name
- Your school's name
- Sample questions to ask your storyteller (see above)
- Your project goal
- Your phone number
Click here to build your consent form.
You will be emailed your complete consent form. Print two copies, and get your storyteller to sign both. One is for them to keep and one is for your records.
Be mindful of your storyteller's valuable time.
- Coordinate a convenient schedule for the interview.
- Offer to send them the consent form beforehand so they can gather their thoughts and prepare for the conversation.
- Consider having refreshments on hand, like water or tea, to create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
- Stay aware of your own safety: tell a friend when you leave for an interview and tell them who you are interviewing.
You need two software tools: a recorder and a mapper
1. Your first goal is to capture the voice and the transcript of your chat.
Visit Otter.ai and download what you need for your device
The recorder you choose will depend on your mobile technology. As of January 2025, we recommend Otter.ai for most languages. It allows you to record the chat, and it will transcribe the first 30 minutes for free. You car re-start the recorder after 30 minutes (set an alarm on your phone for 28 minutes) and transcribe the whole conversation.
2. Your second goal is to ensure you capture the locations or "settings" of the stories in your chat.
The mapper you should use is Open Street Map (for either Android or Apple). This map is not owned by a company, and your data is stored locally.
This platform is an open-source map and it is supported by thousands of volunteers. Many places have street-view imagery when you activate the Mapillary plugin, which can be helpful in jogging your chat partner's memories. NOTE: download only the map you will be having a conversation about. Open Street Map offers several free maps, but more than you limit and you need to pay for the service.
Always plan for the unexpected!
Assume your primary recording device might malfunction and have a backup recorder running simultaneously.
A good strategy is to use a tablet or computer for capturing both audio and the map.
Your secondary device, like a phone, can serve as an additional audio recorder.
Remember to test your equipment thoroughly before the interview.
What ignites your passion for capturing this story?
Is it a school project? Do you yearn to connect with a neighbor or family member on a deeper level? Perhaps you aspire to make a positive impact in your community.Identifying your purpose and keeping it at the forefront will guide you throughout the interview process.
Your objective is to guide the conversation and elicit their experiences.
Listen attentively, posing questions to steer the dialogue towards your objective or to keep them engaged in storytelling.
Remember, you are not conducting a survey, but an interview. Use your questions to help your storyteller keep talking. Some storytellers have plenty to say and you will not get to some of your questions. What subjects are you studying in the neighborhood where you are researching?Click here and follow the instructions on the next page to customize your question list. Be sure to copy good questions to your consent form below.Note! If your class has a set of questions from your teacher, use those questions
Who holds the key to unlocking the story you seek?
Is it a wise elder in your family or a neighbor who has witnessed the neighborhood's transformation over time?Reach out and connect with them!
Explain your goal (remember your "why" from the previous section) and how their participation can be instrumental in bringing your project to life.
Explain your storyteller's rights.
Their story is their own intellectual property, and you're simply recording it. They have the right to opt-out at any point, without explanation or pressure.Information you will need before you create your consent form:
- Your email address
- Your project name
- Your class name
- Your teacher's name
- Your school's name
- Sample questions to ask your storyteller (see above)
- Your project goal
- Your phone number
Click here to build your consent form.
You will be emailed your complete consent form. Print two copies, and get your storyteller to sign both. One is for them to keep and one is for your records.
Be mindful of your storyteller's valuable time.
- Coordinate a convenient schedule for the interview.
- Offer to send them the consent form beforehand so they can gather their thoughts and prepare for the conversation.
- Consider having refreshments on hand, like water or tea, to create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
- Stay aware of your own safety: tell a friend when you leave for an interview and tell them who you are interviewing.
You need two software tools: a recorder and a mapper
1. Your first goal is to capture the voice and the transcript of your chat.
Visit Otter.ai and download what you need for your device
The recorder you choose will depend on your mobile technology. As of January 2025, we recommend Otter.ai for most languages. It allows you to record the chat, and it will transcribe the first 30 minutes for free. You car re-start the recorder after 30 minutes (set an alarm on your phone for 28 minutes) and transcribe the whole conversation.2. Your second goal is to ensure you capture the locations or "settings" of the stories in your chat.
The mapper you should use is Open Street Map (for either Android or Apple). This map is not owned by a company, and your data is stored locally. This platform is an open-source map and it is supported by thousands of volunteers. Many places have street-view imagery when you activate the Mapillary plugin, which can be helpful in jogging your chat partner's memories. NOTE: download only the map you will be having a conversation about. Open Street Map offers several free maps, but more than you limit and you need to pay for the service.Always plan for the unexpected!
Assume your primary recording device might malfunction and have a backup recorder running simultaneously.
A good strategy is to use a tablet or computer for capturing both audio and the map. Your secondary device, like a phone, can serve as an additional audio recorder.Remember to test your equipment thoroughly before the interview.
Head to the Interview!
You are now fully prepared for your chat, so what do you do once you are in front of your storyteller:
- Test your recording equipment (microphone, recorder, software).
- Ensure sufficient recording space and battery/power.
- Choose a quiet location with minimal background noise.
- Start your backup recording equipment.
- Go over the consent form and ask if there are any questions before you begin.
- Have a "jot-pad" for jotting down notes about interesting subjects.
- Start your recorder and say the following:
"Today is (say the date), and this is an interview with (full name of the storyteller) who lives on (say their address). We are making this recording for (say the project name). The interviewer is (say your own name). (Repeat the name of the storyteller), do you understand we are recording your story for use in research and community heritage?"
- Thank them, and begin with your first question, usually:
"When did you move to this neighborhood?"
- Note: if you have a limited number of transcription minutes per recording with your software, set an alarm now to give you a full minute to restart the recorder. Then set the alarm again!
To craft a captivating story map, pinpoint the settings mentioned in the narrative.
When your storyteller mentions a specific place, ask about location details.
Pause briefly to drop a flag on your map
Choose a location central to that part of the story
Check with your storyteller if they agree with the location.
Then tap the flag to open its menu.
Make the flag a favorite
Assign a number to the flag
Speak the name of the pin into the recorder
Make a new "category" for your map and change the name to your storyteller's name:
Make a flag for each location in the story, and double check that they all have the same category name.
Resume the conversation
- Thank your storyteller again.
- Stop your recording on both recording devices.
- Pack up your copy of the consent form.
- Check you have all your equipment with you.
- Test your recording equipment (microphone, recorder, software).
- Ensure sufficient recording space and battery/power.
- Choose a quiet location with minimal background noise.
- Start your backup recording equipment.
- Go over the consent form and ask if there are any questions before you begin.
- Have a "jot-pad" for jotting down notes about interesting subjects.
- Start your recorder and say the following:
"Today is (say the date), and this is an interview with (full name of the storyteller) who lives on (say their address). We are making this recording for (say the project name). The interviewer is (say your own name). (Repeat the name of the storyteller), do you understand we are recording your story for use in research and community heritage?"
- Thank them, and begin with your first question, usually:
"When did you move to this neighborhood?"
- Note: if you have a limited number of transcription minutes per recording with your software, set an alarm now to give you a full minute to restart the recorder. Then set the alarm again!
To craft a captivating story map, pinpoint the settings mentioned in the narrative.
When your storyteller mentions a specific place, ask about location details.
Pause briefly to drop a flag on your map
Choose a location central to that part of the story
Check with your storyteller if they agree with the location.
Then tap the flag to open its menu.
Make the flag a favorite
Assign a number to the flag
Speak the name of the pin into the recorder
Make a new "category" for your map and change the name to your storyteller's name:
Make a flag for each location in the story, and double check that they all have the same category name.
Resume the conversation
- Thank your storyteller again.
- Stop your recording on both recording devices.
- Pack up your copy of the consent form.
- Check you have all your equipment with you.
Where Stories Meet Maps: Post-production
You have the recording and a rough map, now combine them and submit:
After a couple of hours, Otter.ai will finish a draft of your transcript. There are ten steps to post-processing your transcript:
Step 1: Find your note by date when you reopen Otter.ai:
Step 2: Where it says "Note", change the name of the recording to the name of your storyteller.
Then click on each speaker's name below and enter the name of the speaker:
Step 3: Next, to edit the transcript so the typed words match the spoken words, open the context menu using the three dots in the upper right corner:
Step 4: Then select "Edit":
Step 5: Start and stop the audio play back with the play button in the upper right corner.
Pause the recording and select a word you need to change. When finished with all changes, tap the green check mark to save your edits:
Step 6: To share the transcript, export it from the context menu:
Step 7: Check the setting match this image and save the text file in more than one place:
Step 8: Send the file to yourself and your teacher by email:
Step 9: Return to the context menu, select export again, but this time change the Type to "Audio":
Then select continue to download the audio file of your interview. Save it someplace safe.
Step 10: Then add users to your recording.
Include
- your teacher,
- your storyteller, and
- narrativeinfrastructure@gmail.com
Both of these files are important for many generations to come. Protect them! Store them in more than one location!
Formatting, saving, and sharing your map takes four steps:
Step 1: Open your menu:
Step 2: Select My Places:
Step 3: Expand the stories, and click on the first story:
Step 4: Edit your story.
Where you see the number of the story, click there and add a short phrase to describe the theme of that story.
Copy the the text of that story from your transcript into the Description, keeping all names and time stamps.
Repeat step 4 for each story in your map.
Getting your finished Chat Map out of OSMand is the last part of making a Chat Map, and takes four steps:
Step 1: Open your menu:
Step 2: Select My Places:
Step 3: Open the context menu next to the name of your map
Step 4: Click the Share button
Step 5: Select your email application
Email the file to the following people:
- Yourself!
- Your teacher
- narrativeinfrastructure@gmail.com
In the "subject" field of the email, include the following:
Your teacher's name, your name, your storyteller's name
CLICK SEND!
Congratulations!
Once we receive your Chat Map at Narrative İnfrastructure, we will add it to your community's growing map of stories.
When it is finished, you will receive an email with a link to your neighborhood's stories.
Please share that email with your storyteller so they can see what you accomplished together.
After a couple of hours, Otter.ai will finish a draft of your transcript. There are ten steps to post-processing your transcript:
Step 1: Find your note by date when you reopen Otter.ai:
Step 2: Where it says "Note", change the name of the recording to the name of your storyteller.
Then click on each speaker's name below and enter the name of the speaker:
Step 3: Next, to edit the transcript so the typed words match the spoken words, open the context menu using the three dots in the upper right corner:
Step 4: Then select "Edit":
Step 5: Start and stop the audio play back with the play button in the upper right corner.
Pause the recording and select a word you need to change. When finished with all changes, tap the green check mark to save your edits:
Step 6: To share the transcript, export it from the context menu:
Step 7: Check the setting match this image and save the text file in more than one place:
Step 8: Send the file to yourself and your teacher by email:
Step 9: Return to the context menu, select export again, but this time change the Type to "Audio":
Then select continue to download the audio file of your interview. Save it someplace safe.
Step 10: Then add users to your recording.
Include
- your teacher,
- your storyteller, and
- narrativeinfrastructure@gmail.com
Both of these files are important for many generations to come. Protect them! Store them in more than one location!
Formatting, saving, and sharing your map takes four steps:
Step 1: Open your menu:
Step 2: Select My Places:
Step 3: Expand the stories, and click on the first story:
Step 4: Edit your story.
Where you see the number of the story, click there and add a short phrase to describe the theme of that story.
Copy the the text of that story from your transcript into the Description, keeping all names and time stamps.
Repeat step 4 for each story in your map.
Getting your finished Chat Map out of OSMand is the last part of making a Chat Map, and takes four steps:
Step 1: Open your menu:
Step 2: Select My Places:
Step 3: Open the context menu next to the name of your map
Step 4: Click the Share button
Step 5: Select your email application
Email the file to the following people:
- Yourself!
- Your teacher
- narrativeinfrastructure@gmail.com
In the "subject" field of the email, include the following:
Your teacher's name, your name, your storyteller's name
CLICK SEND!
Congratulations!
Once we receive your Chat Map at Narrative İnfrastructure, we will add it to your community's growing map of stories.
When it is finished, you will receive an email with a link to your neighborhood's stories.
Please share that email with your storyteller so they can see what you accomplished together.