Depending on your equipment, it's not that hard to do yourself, assuming you have a way to play the records. Hook up a connection from an amplifier to your computer-- I use RCA lugs into an adapter that takes two RCA inputs (L & R channel, though most of those old recordings are mono) and ends in a mini-plug, which goes into my computer. (Note: you do better go through your amplifier than directly from the record player.)
Use Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ to record the program and to trim the scratches at either end. Audacity is free, and has audio editing capabilities that allow you to clean up the sound. I also recommend ClickRepair: http://www.clickrepair.net/software_download/clickrepair.html as a wonderful program-- though not free--for getting rid of clicks and crackles that come with old records. It's also worth checking iTunes or Amazon's music downloads to see if any of the material in question is already available. A surprising amount of older material is already available in digitial format. At $.99 a cut, it's often simpler to pay the money and let others have done the work for you. David Millstone Lebanon, NH
