StoryCorps » FAQs

StoryCorps » About » FAQs

Here are some common questions about StoryCorps programming and interview process. Please click on any subject or question for an answer. We’re here to help!

Participating with StoryCorps:

Where can I record my story?

Visit our locations page to see if StoryCorps is near you. Don’t forget to check the upcoming stops on our MobileBooth itineraries.

You can also rent a StoryKit to do your own recording at home using our portable equipment and user’s guide.

How can I get StoryCorps to come to my town?

MobileBooth, StoryBooths, and Door-to-Door bring StoryCorps to you. Learn more here.

MobileBooths are traveling recording studios, designed to visit towns and cities nationwide for short periods. Contact your local public radio station about hosting a StoryCorps MobileBooth for one month or contact us for more information.

StoryBooths are temporary recording studios installed in a local cultural institution for one year. All operations, logistics, staff training, and transfer of data to the Library of Congress are handled centrally by StoryCorps. To learn more about StoryBooths, please submit a request at our inquiries page.

The Door-to-Door service brings professional equipment and staff to a location of your choice for one or more days of recording. It is ideal for any institution, organization, or conference. All you need is a quiet room and at least 6 pairs of participants who want to record StoryCorps interviews. Our portable and professional recording equipment enables us to travel anywhere and make top-quality recordings. Contact us for more information.

How do I make reservations?

Make your reservation for a StoryCorps recording session today. See our reservations and locations page to make a reservation online, or call our reservation line at 800-850-4406 (it’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

The booth is full during the time that I wanted to do an interview. What can I do?

The reservation calendar for each booth is always up to date, so you can keep an eye on it for cancellations. All of the reservations calendars can be found by visiting our locations page.

Can I just show up?

You need to make a reservation. We cannot take walk-in appointments except in the rare instance that there is a cancellation

Can I do more than one interview?

If you are coming to one of our permanent StoryBooths (New York City, Milwaukee, and Nashville) we encourage you to come back with different family members or friends as many times as you like.

On the MobileBooth Tour, however, we have a limited time in each city. We ask that you limit your time to one interview so that we can accommodate as many voices as possible within the time constraints.

To record additional interviews, you can also rent a StoryKit to be sent to your home.

Does it cost anything to participate?

We suggest a donation of $10 to help cover costs of recording, archiving, and preserving each interview.

Each session costs us more than $250, but at StoryCorps, we are committed to making it possible for everyone?regardless of their resources?to have the opportunity to preserve the stories of their loved ones and friends. We rely on support from foundations, corporations, and individual donors to help close this gap and to keep StoryCorps accessible to all. Make a donation today!

How do I cancel my interview?

To change or cancel your reservation up to 24 hours before your appointment, please visit the locations page and click on the location of your interview to go to the online reservation system. In the reservation system, click on ?My appointments? to cancel.

You can also change or cancel a reservation by calling 800-850-4406. If you need to cancel less than 24 hours before your appointment, please call 646-723-7027. If you cancel your reservation with less than 24 hours’ notice, a $25 cancellation fee will be charged to your credit card.

Why do you need my credit card information?

Our appointment slots are limited, so we ask to have your e-mail address and credit card number on file to guarantee your reservation. You will not be charged unless you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours’ advance notice, since we will not be able to fill that time slot on such short notice.

What to expect in the interview:

How long is the StoryCorps interview session?

The recorded interview is no more than 40 minutes. The whole process takes about an hour. For more about what to expect, click here.

How early should I arrive?

Please arrive ten to fifteen minutes before your scheduled interview time.

What should I bring? What should I do to prepare?

Learn about what to expect here. Bring a list of questions with you. You can use our Question Generator to help you write out your questions. You may also want to bring a bottle of water.

Can I come alone?

StoryCorps interviews are designed to be conversations between people who are part of each others’ lives, so we ask that you bring a partner.

How many people can I bring to my interview?

A two-person interview is ideal: you and your storyteller. A trained Facilitator will be in the booth with you as well. It is possible to fit an additional participant in the booth, but interviews between two people tend to work the best.

Will anybody be there to help me with the interview?

There will be a Facilitator there to walk you through the interview process and to handle all of the technical aspects of the recording. Facilitators are all good, thoughtful listeners who come from varied backgrounds, though they are not trained or licensed therapists.

Can I read something during my recording?

If you have something short to read, like a poem, that’s fine, but in general, StoryCorps interviews are designed to be unscripted conversation.

Can I bring my child/grandchild?

We suggest that for interviews you do not bring children younger than ten years of age to the booth.

About the organization:

What makes StoryCorps different than other oral history projects?

Unlike traditional oral history interviews, a StoryCorps interview is done by two people who know each other. We believe that being interviewed by a friend or family member is a powerful experience. It not only captures your memories and stories, but the dynamics of your relationship.

StoryCorps also provides the equipment, space and staff for a broadcast-quality recording. A StoryCorps facilitator guides you through the interview process and operates the recording equipment. At the end of the session, you receive a CD of the recording to pass along to family and friends. With your permission, another copy will be archived at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress, accessible to future generations.

Selected interviews are edited and produced for broadcast on our website, NPR, and other media outlets. To listen to a sample of these broadcast stories, please visit our listen page.

Where does StoryCorps get its funding?

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit organization, so we rely on the financial support of individuals like you. Visit our support page to see current funders and to make a donation.

How are you affiliated with NPR?

StoryCorps is proud to produce segments that are broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition, News & Notes and on the NPR website. These broadcasts reach millions of listeners and NPR is our national broadcast partner.

StoryCorps is, however, a separate nonprofit organization. We raise funds independently in order to help the largest number of people record their stories. If you would like to see StoryCorps in more cities, please consider giving a donation by visiting our Support page.

If I donate to NPR or my local radio station, does my donation also go to StoryCorps?

No. Because StoryCorps is an independent organization, we raise our own funding. Please make a donation today to help keep StoryCorps open and accessible to all.

How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from your weekly email?

Please use our online form to sign up to receive the latest StoryCorps stories and news by weekly email. To unsubscribe, please email your name and email address to newsletter@storycorps.net and put “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

How do I update my contact information?

Please fill out our online form to update your information so we at StoryCorps can stay in touch with you.

About our recordings:

Can interviews be conducted in any language?

Yes. Interviews can be conducted in any language the participants choose. While StoryCorps does not offer translation services, participants can come to the booth and record their story in any language they prefer.

Where are the interviews stored?

All interviews are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Some interviews are also stored in smaller collections. Visit the Archive Partners page for more information.

At the American Folklife Center, visit the Reading Room at the American Folklife Center. It is advisable to contact the reference desk at the Reading Room in advance to verify that a particular interview has been processed and transferred to the Library. Please note that the American Folklife Center does not provide copies of the interviews.

Is my interview available online?

No. If you signed one of the StoryCorps release forms, your interview is catalogued at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Only interviews edited for broadcast are on the StoryCorps website. For more information on accessing your interview at the Library of Congress, please submit an inquiry and select ?Archive Access?.

How can I get a transcript of my StoryCorps interview?

We recommend the transcript services provided by The Tape Transcription Center in Boston, MA. If you send them your StoryCorps CD, the entirety of the interview will be transcribed and then returned to you. For pricing and additional questions, visit www.ttctranscriptions.com or call the Tape Transcription Center at 617-423-2151.

Can I order extra copies of my interview?

StoryCorps does not provide extra copies of interview CDs. Please feel free to burn extra copies of the interview yourself, or if you do not have the equipment, Kinko’s will copy CDs for $10 each.

I lost my interview, is there a way to get a copy of the interview I participated in?

StoryCorps requests that participants with lost or damaged CDs submit a formal request through our Participant Relations department by mailing $25 by check to StoryCorps. Click here for our contact information.

This fee covers the cost of retrieving and processing the interview. Retrieval is only possible for interviews where participants have signed release forms. Submitted inquiries must include the interview day, time, and preferably your Library of Congress catalogue number before proceeding. The retrieval process requires administrative time and can take up to 4 weeks. In order to prevent lost interviews, StoryCorps requests that participants create back-up copies of interview CDs.

What happens if I don’t want my CD to go to the archive?

If you do not wish to have the CD archived, you should not sign the release. In turn, we will not keep a copy of your interview CD.

Can I send StoryCorps an interview I recorded with my personal equipment?

No. While StoryCorps encourages people to record one another’s stories, we can only archive interviews recorded through our program. This assures that the recording quality and format of each interview are standardized within the parameters set by StoryCorps and the American Folklife Center.

We offer a StoryKit for rent that includes portable recording equipment and a user’s guide. StoryKit interviews are included in the StoryCorps Archives.

What is the StoryCorps book?

The StoryCorps book, “Listening Is an Act of Love”, is a selection of some of the most remarkable stories from our already vast collection, arranged thematically into a moving portrait of American life. Published by the Penguin Press, available in bookstores and Starbucks nationwide starting November 8, 2007. Order the book here and StoryCorps receives a portion of the sales.

StoryCorps broadcasts:

How can I get a StoryCorps sampler CD?

Please order the audio version of StoryCorps’ book, Listening is an Act of Love, available online and at bookstores and Starbucks nationwide.

Do you podcast?

StoryCorps began podcasting in 2007. Visit our podcast page for information on how to subscribe.

What is the lead-in music for StoryCorps’ broadcast clips?

The lead-in guitar music for clips broadcast in NPR affiliate stations is from the album Turnstyles and Junkpiles by the group Pullman, and is available for purchase or download at Thrill Jockey.

Does StoryCorps accept previously recorded interviews?

We offer a StoryKit for rent that includes portable recording equipment and a user’s guide. StoryKit interview are included in the StoryCorps Archives.

I would like to use a broadcasted clip in my classroom. Can I download the clips somewhere?

All of our broadcasted clips are available at our Listen Page. We appreciate teachers incorporating StoryCorps into their curriculum. Please tell us about your program by submitting an inquiry under “Use of SC Material”.

Partnering with StoryCorps

I want to start a branch of StoryCorps where I live. What can I do?

There are three ways to bring StoryCorps to your area: MobileBooths, StoryBooths, and Door-to-Door.

TheDoor-to-Door service brings professional equipment and staff to a location of your choice for one or more days of recording. It is ideal for any institution, organization, or conference. All you need is a quiet room and at least 6 pairs of participants who want to record StoryCorps interviews. Our portable and professional recording equipment enables us to travel anywhere and make top-quality recordings. Contact us for more information.

How can my organization partner with StoryCorps on a project?

We work with organizations in order to reach as diverse a pool of participants as possible. If you and your organization are interested in partnering with StoryCorps, please visit our inquiries page and submit your information.

Except in rare instances where we use small portable recording packages (StoryCorps Door-to-Door), we ask that those who we partner with travel to one of our booths to record their interviews. It’s also preferable if StoryCorps interviews are between two people who know each other well.

I am a teacher interested in the idea of StoryCorps. Can I assign StoryCorps interviews to my students?

We appreciate the opportunity to partner with school groups in the New York City area; however, we can accommodate only a limited number of school groups at our StoryBooths. If you wish to assign StoryCorps interviews to your students, we ask that you adhere to our guidelines for school groups.

Many teachers throughout the country have used StoryCorps as a resource in their classrooms and have found this to be a valuable experience. If you are not near a permanent booth, or you are unable to adhere to our guidelines, please click here for additional suggestions.

How else can I help?

Make a donation, buy the StoryCorps book, become a volunteer, apply for a job or internship, sign up to receive stories and news by email, or record your own story.

You can also help by spreading the word about StoryCorps to your friends and family, invite them to do an interview, share your favorite StoryCorps stories, email the website, give the book and cd as a gift, or make a donation in their honor.