How Millions of Minutes of Audio Are Changing the Way We Learn About the Holocaust

Here’s a number you might not expect: in 2024 alone, listeners streamed more than 1 million minutes of Holocaust Encyclopaedia audio content.

Do the math, and it comes to 16,000 hours — the equivalent of nearly two years of continuous listening.

And here’s the kicker: half of those listeners made it through at least 75% of each article. In the age of short-form content and vanishing attention spans, people are sticking with 10-, 20-, even 30-minute narrations of deeply complex history. The project was designed for accessibility. It turned out to be something much bigger.

From Text to Voice

The Holocaust Encyclopaedia from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is enormous: nearly a thousand rigorously reviewed articles, each designed to be readable by students and the general public. They cover everything from Oskar Schindler to survivor ID cards, supported by images, testimony, and historical film.

But text has its limits. For people with visual impairments, for students who struggle with dense reading, or even for busy adults, long articles can be a barrier. Screen readers help, but they stumble over foreign words, flatten nuance, and sometimes read with tones that feel jarringly at odds with the subject.

That’s why, in 2023, the Museum launched the Holocaust Encyclopaedia Audio Project — human-read narrations of its most popular articles.

Why Human Voices Beat AI

This wasn’t outsourced to synthetic voices. Each narration is recorded by professional voice actors trained with language experts. Why? Because articles reference as many as ten different languages in a single piece — German, Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish, French, and beyond.

Getting pronunciation right matters. So does tone. A cheerful AI voice mispronouncing “Bergen-Belsen” risks trivializing a subject that demands gravity. Human narration allows subtle editing too, transforming visual cues into spoken clarity.

In short AI voice doesn’t have the nuance and emotional intelligence of a human.

The Numbers That Changed the Story

The Audio Project started as an accessibility initiative. But soon, the Museum noticed something else: audio was attracting listeners well beyond its intended audience.

– In 2024 alone listeners streamed over 1 million minutes of Holocaust Encyclopaedia audio.

– 50% of users make it through three-quarters of an article — a retention rate most podcasters would envy.

– In the first three months of 2025 alone, audio plays equaled the total number for all of 2024, suggesting listenership will more than double in its second year online.

– The most popular article isn’t the shortest or simplest — it’s the 33-minute “Introduction to the Holocaust”, with more than 60,000 plays.

This isn’t just accessibility. It’s demand.

Riding the Wave of Audio

The data fits into a larger global trend. According to Edison Media’s 2024 Infinite Dial study, 76% of Americans over 12 listen to online audio monthly, and 70% weekly. Similar numbers appear in Australia, while Deloitte estimated that by 2024, 1.7 billion people worldwide would listen to podcasts each month.

At the same time, the UK’s National Literacy Trust reports that listening to audio formats can actually improve reading engagement and wellbeing, especially among young people.

Audio isn’t just popular — it’s educational.

Accessibility That Expands Reach

Teachers are among the biggest adopters of the Audio Project, often using narrations in classrooms where students prefer to listen rather than read. The audience now spans reluctant young readers, busy adults, and casual learners who simply enjoy audio.

That’s the unexpected lesson of the project: accessibility features don’t just serve a niche group. Done well, they expand the audience for everyone.

Why It Matters

The Audio Project proves that when history speaks, people listen — and they keep listening. What began as a way to make articles more inclusive has become one of the Museum’s most powerful tools for engagement.

And the implication for museums everywhere is clear: audio isn’t just an add-on. It’s a path to broadening our reach.

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Anne Fertig from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum spoke about the Holocaust Encyclopaedia at the Museum Digital Summit 2025.