Lately, I’ve been very interested in the concept of sound libraries. So I thought I’d mention a place Amanda introduced you to a few years ago that also happens to be housed at the alma mater of one of my professional mentors.
The Robert G. Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University contains over 100,000 hours of voice recordings from more than 500,000 unique voices.
The earliest recordings are from the 1880s. The best part is that it is searchable.
When you arrive at the site you’ll find an introductory paragraph that explains what kinds of sound recordings they have and how to use the site in order to experience those recordings.
On the right side of the page you’ll find a menu that offers you links to information about the library, galleries of specific sound collections, and an awesome 21 minute video about the library and the sound recordings it houses.
To get started, you’ll want to do a search in the search field or click into one of the gallery sections. Anything that’s in the public domain will have a Listen button that will play the .MP3 file of that recording.
It’s just that simple to use! Go check it out for yourself today!