Super Cool! "Newly-Digitized, Never-Before-Seen Videos of 'Beat Generation' Poets Released"

Awesome. This is a definite not only a win for users because the video was discovered but also because it was digitized and accessible to anyone interested, 24x7x365, from anywhere in the world with a fast enough web connection. It wasn’t that long ago that this would have been impossible.

The video first became available about seven weeks ago.

From the University of North Dakota (via Newswise):

Recently discovered and newly digitized versions of never-before-released videos of the “Beat Generation” poets are now on line, thanks to the University of North Dakota.

The 1974 footage records the 5th Annual University of North Dakota (UND) Writers Conference, “City of Lights in North Dakota,” featuring Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Michael McClure, Kenneth Rexroth and Peter Orlovsky.

It is believed to be the first time all of the authors appeared together on stage.

[Clip]

The videos capture March 18-22, 1974, when the ideas of some of the most influential members of the “Beat Generation” were recorded for posterity, including nearly 10 hours of video, which the University is making freely available online for scholarly, educational, and historical purposes. The footage was recently discovered in a box of 28 mostly unlabeled film reels donated to the University by former UND Writers Conference director and professor of English Dr. James McKenzie. A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts allowed for digitization.

Access Video from the 1974 Conference from Chester Fritz Library, U. of North Dakota (Special Collections Dept.)

See Also: Digitized Video Available Now or Coming Soon from Other University of North Dakota (UND) Writers Conferences

See Also:Other Digital Collections from the U. of North Dakota and Other States in the Region

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Digital Collections, Digital Preservation, Funding, Interactive Tools, Libraries, Patrons and Users, Resources