What is StoryCorps Legacy?

StoryCorps Legacy provides people with serious illness and their families the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. We partner with organizations that serve people with serious illness and their families. These include hospice care, palliative care, and disease-specific organizations. StoryCorps staff train and prepare our partners to conduct and record interviews with people from their community.

Who can participate in StoryCorps Legacy?

StoryCorps Legacy supports people with serious illness and their families. A clinical diagnosis is not required to participate in the program. Appropriate participants are identified by our partner organizations and can be interviewed by anyone: a family member, a friend, or someone from our partner organization.

Does StoryCorps Legacy record interviews with children who have serious illness?

Partner organizations with pediatric programs may use their discretion when selecting participants for StoryCorps Legacy interviews. Currently StoryCorps does not reach out to pediatric organizations or provide resources for interviewing children with serious illness.

Can we record interviews in languages other than English?

Yes, participants can record their story in any language they like. StoryCorps Legacy encourages the participation of a wide diversity of people. If an interview is recorded in a language other than English, we ask that someone from the partner organization who speaks that language be present before and after the interview to explain the process and review the paperwork requirements with participants.

Where does StoryCorps record interviews?

We record in a variety of settings nationwide. Through StoryCorps Legacy, organizational partners are provided with portable recording equipment called StoryKits to record interviews in participants’ homes, healthcare facilities, and on-site at partner organizations.

What is the StoryCorps interview model?

StoryCorps interviews are conversations between two people who know each other. In StoryCorps Legacy, participants with serious illness or their caregivers are the storytellers. They are asked open-ended questions about their lives by their interview partner. A staff member trained by StoryCorps Legacy is also present during the interview to handle all technical aspects of the recording and complete the necessary paperwork.

What should we talk about during our interview?

You can talk about whatever you like. We encourage you to share memories and wisdom and not worry too much about specific details, such as exact dates or locations. The StoryCorps Interview: Step-By-Step Outline, Interview Tips, and Great Questions List will help you prepare for the interview.

How long is the interview?

The interview process takes about an hour. Recording time is 40 minutes, but can be flexible based on participant needs.

What happens to recordings after the interview sessions?

StoryCorps Legacy participants receive a copy of their interview on CD to share with friends and family. With their permission, a second copy is archived for generations to come in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Can participants share their recordings with others?

Yes. We encourage participants to share their recordings with friends and family.

Is a StoryCorps Legacy interview the same as life review?

StoryCorps Legacy gives people with serious illness the opportunity to share and preserve their stories. Participation in StoryCorps fosters a sense of reminiscence that may be poignant and therapeutic and one that might lead to a more formal life review, but the interview should not be mistaken for a clinical intervention or therapy.

How does StoryCorps honor HIPAA and other privacy regulations?

StoryCorps is not a clinical program and does not require or maintain health records of its participants. We work through partner organizations that have existing relationships with community members and who can select participants most appropriate for this program. Participation is always voluntary, and we protect the privacy of all of our participants throughout the interview experience. If participants choose not to sign the release forms at the end of their interviews, they will receive a CD of their conversation, and StoryCorps will not keep or archive the interview with the Library of Congress.

I’d like to interview my loved one as part of StoryCorps Legacy, but we are not affiliated with any of your partner organizations. How can we record our stories?

While we can only collect StoryCorps Legacy interviews through our partnerships with organizations, we encourage you to record a conversation on your own through our StoryKit rental program or by downloading our free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide. Visit storycorps.org or call us at 646-723-7027 to learn more.

Download a PDF version of the StoryCorps Legacy FAQs here.