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The paper presents aims and results of the project KA³ (Kölner Zentrum Analyse und Archivierung von audio-visual-Daten), in which advanced speech technologies are developed and provided to enhance the process of indexing and analysing speech recordings from the oral history domain and the language sciences. Close cooperation between speech technology scientists and digital humanities researchers is an important aspect of the project making sure that the development of the technologies answers the needs of research based on qualitative audio-visual interviews. For practical research reasons, the project focuses on the audio aspect, although visual aspects are of course equally important for the analysis of audio-visual data. The Cologne Centre for Analysis and Archiving of audio-visual data will provide the technologies as a central service.

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This chapter explores developments in and prospects for the online archival storage and retrieval of oral history interviews—with a focus on experiences and projects in Germany. The introductory section examines the contemporary history research method, oral history, which has led to extensive collections of interviews with witnesses of different historical periods, including survivors of Nazi persecution. To characterize the nature of oral history interviews, attention is given to their narrative form and the biographical dimension. Emphasizing the specific value of this material, the authors discuss the demands involved in archiving such material framed by the expectations on both sides, witnesses as interview partners and researchers and other interested persons as archive users. A German example for state-of-the-art online archiving strategies called the “Forced Labor 1939-1945. Memory and History” archive, is presented, outlining the technical challenges and research features as well as research functionality and further enhancements. Possible avenues for further development within the field are outlined: a meta-search engine covering multiple databases and an open online archive. A crucial ethical question is also presented in this chapter: How can a responsible online access policy ensure the protection of the contemporary witnesses’ personal rights?

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