Dictabelt Recordings of Ugandan Field Expeditions

Helmut Buechner was an ecologist specializing in the relationship between terrestrial vertebrates and vegetation. In 1965, he became the first director of the Office of Ecology at the Smithsonian. During a trip to Uganda in 1956–1958, Buechner became interested in the unique territorial and mating behavior of the Uganda kob. He made trips to Uganda's Toro Game Reserve to study the species in 1959, 1962–1963, and 1972. These 47 Dictabelts, an analog audio recording medium, include Buechner’s field notes and dictated correspondence during those trips. Because of their design and technological obselescence, these Dictabelts are at particular risk due to the difficulty of playing them on modern machinery without damaging the delicate grooves of the belts.

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