Read the duration at the correct level
The record identifies Goh Eng Wah, accession 001907, fourteen total reels, Mandarin and a total running time of 6 hours 32 minutes 20 seconds. Its page title identifies reel or disc 2 of 14. The total duration describes the interview collection, so it should not automatically be attached to the second reel as that reel’s own length.
Create a reference containing the interviewee, accession number and selected reel or disc. Keep the whole-interview duration in a separate field. If the player or catalogue supplies a reel-level duration, record it at that level rather than calculating an equal share of the total; the record does not establish that every reel has the same length.
Anchor the passage to its own recording
For a passage you have actually consulted, write the start and end positions relative to the identified reel and add the first and last few spoken words. NAS’s published oral-history order worksheet asks for accession, reel, format, timecode and spoken-word boundaries. Those fields help distinguish a position in one recording from the same number of minutes in another.
If you have only read a transcript or search result, label the passage as a candidate requiring audio confirmation. The record cautions that voice-to-text and OCR-assisted search can contain inaccuracies. A search snippet is useful for discovery, but it should not be silently presented as a verified verbatim extract.
Choose viewing or reproduction deliberately
NAS’s current service pages distinguish Request to View for material unavailable from home from Request a Copy for reproductions. Use the appropriate present e-Request route once the item is identified. The older order worksheet is useful evidence of identification fields; its dated fees should not be treated as a current quotation.
Finish the brief with the intended use and the exact material still needed. The record reserves rights and directs enquiries to NAS, so being able to identify a reel does not establish permission to publish it. Keep the archive’s response with the reference, allowing the next researcher to see what was identified, consulted, requested and actually supplied.