CSU Center for Public History

CSU Center for Public History Streamlines 20-Year Oral History Project with Alice

Overview

Cleveland State University's Center for Public History + Digital Humanities has transformed the transcription process for its 20-year Cleveland Voices project by using Alice. The archive, which consists of over 1200 interviews, is one of the largest geographically-specific oral history collections in the United States.

Why it matters

The Cleveland Voices project documents the region’s history through interviews dating back to 2002. Making these interviews accessible for researchers and the public has always been a priority for CSU. However, transcription bottlenecks slowed down the process—until Alice came into play.

The challenge

  • The Center initially relied on abstracts and audio logs, which provided limited searchability.
  • Manual transcription was too costly and time-intensive, delaying access to vital historical information.
  • Previous AI transcription tools fell short, requiring extensive editing and slowing progress.

The solution

In 2024, CSU adopted Alice after testing several solutions. Alice’s accurate and efficient transcription service allowed CSU to significantly accelerate its workflow.

What changed

  • Speed: Alice processes interviews faster, enabling CSU to publish transcripts more quickly.
  • Accuracy: The quality of the transcripts is so high that staff can read along while playing the audio at 2x speed, making only minor corrections.
  • Efficiency: Despite not having a built-in editor, Alice has simplified the entire workflow with its near-perfect transcription quality.

Quote

“The quality of Alice's transcripts is so good we read along while playing the audio at 2x speed,” says Erin Bell, Project Manager at CSU Center for Public History.

Impact

  • Faster publishing: Interviews are processed and made available at a much quicker pace.
  • Improved access: The higher-quality transcripts make it easier for researchers to navigate and discover relevant content.
  • Sustained growth: Alice enables the archive to continue expanding while maintaining efficiency and accuracy.

Looking ahead

As the Cleveland Voices project continues to grow, Alice will remain an essential tool supporting CSU’s mission to preserve and share the region’s history.

Learn more

Explore how Alice is helping other organizations streamline their projects at aliceapp.ai or contact alice@aliceapp.ai for more information.