Frequently Asked Questions about Re:Collect India
As a Re:Collect India Citizen Archivist, what will I do?
Each Re:Collect Citizen Archivist’s experience will be slightly different, shaped by you as a Citizen Archivist and by the scientists and engineers you meet—but all will follow this basic structure:
With our help, you will find and arrange to meet a scientist born in or before 1947
You will interview them about their career; recording audio or a video of your conversation
If they have access to scientific objects of interest, you will photograph and document those objects
You will submit your findings to the Re:Collect India archive, and you will have an opportunity to contribute to some of Re:Collect India’s creative outputs.
Register below if you are interested in volunteering.
Do I need any previous experience?
All you need to volunteer for Re:Collect and to become a Citizen Archivist is an interest in science, and the ability to meet with a scientist and interview them about their life and work. You don’t need any previous experience in conducting or recording interviews—our handbook will guide you through the process. Hopefully, when you’ve recorded one interview, you might want to record more, and you can build up experience as you go.
What equipment do I need?
All you need is a smartphone that can record audio and take photos. If you have access to more advanced equipment, such as audio recorders or video cameras, that’s brilliant - but it’s not essential.
How do I become a Citizen Archivist?
To become a volunteer, you need to be <age, any other requirements> and available to interview and photograph a scientist or engineer in your area. Once you’ve submitted your first interview, you will be a Re:Collect India Citizen Archivist! To register, visit our registration page.
How will I find a scientist to interview?
If you don’t already know a retired scientist or engineer, we will help you find one: let us know your location, and we will help you find a scientist or engineer near you. If our list doesn’t help you to arrange an interview, you could get in touch with colleges, universities, or research institutes near you. Our handbook explains these processes in more detail.
Can I do group interviews?
One-to-one interviews are preferable because it’s easier to follow the interviewee’s story (especially if the interview is audio only). However, it is possible to do a small group interview (2-3 people maximum)—provided all Heritage Bearers are happy to do so. A guide to conducting a successful group interview is included in our handbook.
What will you do with the interviews?
Interviews will be catalogued and made freely available online, in the Re:Collect India Archive. We hope they will be of interest to everyone; and we also hope that scientists, historians, and artists will find them particularly useful. A Creative Commons ‘Attribution Alone’ license will apply to all interviews and photographs you submit to the archive.
What will you do with the documentation of objects?
As with the interviews, photographs and documentation of notable objects will be catalogued and made freely available online in the Re:Collect India Archive.
Will I get paid for taking part?
Unfortunately, we are not in a position to pay our volunteers. However, please know that we value your time, effort, and contribution—and we will provide all volunteers with a certificate that gratefully recognizes them as a Re:Collect India Citizen Archivist. We will also fully credit you alongside your contribution to the project, on our website. This is a not-for-profit initiative and access to the interviews collected by you will be freely accessible to all.
How can I contribute to Re:Collect India beyond conducting interviews?
Beyond conducting (or transcribing) interviews and documenting objects, there are other opportunities to contribute: for example, you might write an essay based on the interviews, or on the objects you discover. You might make a podcast or a short video documentary. Re:Collect India will share and showcase these contributions.
We also need volunteers to help us transcribe interviews. This is a very important part of the process, and will help make the archive a valuable resource for scientists, science communicators, historians, and artists. If you are interested in helping us with the transcriptions, please visit the registration page.
How will my contributions be acknowledged?
Re:Collect India will always acknowledge your contribution to the project alongside your submissions to, and transcription work on, the archive—and we will issue a certificate of participation to acknowledge your efforts. We also hope that the experience of taking part in the project, and in the online workshops we provide, will help you develop useful new skills.
I am a scientist - can I be interviewed?
If you were born in, or before, 1947—and are, or were, a scientist, engineer, or laboratory technician—you are a Heritage Bearer; and we would love to hear from you! Please write to us at recollect.citizensarchive@gmail.com
Want to know more about Citizens Archives? Check out these projects: