Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Awards $796,320 to Rescue Endangered Audio and Visual Heritage 26 Projects Selected in Latest Round of “Recordings at Risk” Program
Here’s the Full Text of Today’s Announcement From the Council on Library and Information Resources:
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced $796,320 in grants to digitize rare and unique audio/visual materials through its Recordings at Risk program. This eleventh cohort of the program will support 26 projects, adding to the impressive tally of over 59,000 vulnerable audio and/or visual recordings already preserved through previous funding cycles. In the context of rapidly evolving digital technologies and the urgent need for cultural preservation, CLIR’s program stands as a crucial initiative. It aligns with other national and global efforts, such as the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Plan and UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, in recognizing the critical importance of audiovisual materials to our historical record.
“These projects represent a crucial effort to bring to light the rich histories and cultural contributions of communities that have long been marginalized,” said Charles Henry, president of CLIR. “In this moment, it is more important than ever to ensure that these voices are not only preserved but also celebrated and integrated into our collective narrative. By digitizing these collections, we are bridging gaps in historical knowledge and promoting a more equitable representation of our diverse society.”
The diverse projects selected for this cycle reflect the rich tapestry of American and global history. Highlights include:
- Digitization of field recordings from the Austral Islands (1950-1982)
- Preservation of films documenting Chicago’s political landscape
- Audio archives of the longest-running Asian American theater group in the U.S.
Cycle 11 Projects
Organization: American Craft Council
Project: The Voice of American Craft: Preserving and Enhancing Access to the Audio/Visual Archives of the American Craft Council
Amount: $38,268
Organization: Trustees of Amherst College
Project: Voices of Soviet Theater History: Digitizing the Alma Law Collection
Amount: $49,929
Organization: Austin Film Festival Inc.
Project: Austin Film Festival Presents On Story: Inspiring and instructional curations from the entertainment industry’s leading writers, filmmakers, and creators that serve to boldly encourage and stimulate the next generation of storytellers.
Amount: $47,549
Organization: Chicago Film Archives NFP
Project: Small Gauge, Big Shoulders: Digitizing Bill Stamets’ Super-8 Magnetic Sound Films of Public Life in Chicago
Amount: $44,450
Organization: The Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of City College
Project: Preserving Dominican Bachata Voices: Digitizing the Deborah Pacini Hernández Music Collection
Amount: $17,082
Organization: Office of the City Clerk, City of Chicago
Project: Digitizing the Chicago City Council Audio Recordings:1970-2010
Amount: $38,260
Organization: Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Philadelphia, Inc.
Project: Reformatting the Gaydreams Radio Show Recordings
Amount: $24,450
Organization: Granville County Library System, Richard H. Thornton Branch
Project: Granville County’s Black educators, interviewed by James Eddie McCoy
Amount: $15,180
Organization: The Hammond Museum, Inc.
Project: Hammond Castle Museum Recordings Digitization Project
Amount: $14,547
Organization: Hebrew Union College/American Jewish Archives
Project: The Global Voice of the Jewish Community: Saving the Films of B’nai B’rith International
Amount: $43,985
Organization: Illinois State Archives
Project: Reformatting the Audio Recordings of the Illinois Legislative Commission to Visit and Examine State Institutions
Amount: $31,800
Organization: Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum
Project: Digitizing the Anne D. Williams Collection: Preserving and Sharing the Historical Impact of Jigsaw Puzzles
Amount: $10,860
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Project: Preserving Global Voices: Digitizing Endangered Language Recordings from the Kenneth L. Hale Papers
Amount: $36,151
Organization: Peabody Essex Museum
Project: Austral Islands Field Recordings by Martin Brunor, 1950–1982, at the Peabody Essex Museum’s (PEM) Phillips Library
Amount: $15,399
Organization: Purdue University
Project: Efficiency in industry, the workplace, and the home: Preserving the films and audio recordings of time and motion study pioneers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth
Amount: $26,142
Organization: Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation
Project: Preserving Creative Legacies: The Ree & Jun Kaneko Audiovisual Digitization Project
Amount: $21,313
Organization: Regent University
Project: Preserving the Baptista Film Collection
Amount: $26,517
Organization: Spelman College
Project: Lasting Legacies: Preserving and Providing Access to the Rich Audiovisual History of Spelman College
Amount: $49,995
Organization: State Historical Society of Iowa
Project: Preserving Iowa’s Natural History – Digitizing Iowa Conservation Commission Films, 1940s-1960s
Amount: $18,971
Organization: University of Baltimore Foundation, Inc.
Project: Preserving and Providing Access to Baltimore Television News Station (WMAR), 1984-1993 (Phase Two)
Amount: $42,555
Organization: The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
Project: From Rashomon to Shakespeare: Preserving the Formative Years of East West Players (1965-1992)
Amount: $37,073
Organization: The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
Project: Selma Fraiberg’s Films: Insights Into Child Development
Amount: $50,000
Organization: University of Miami Libraries
Project: The Keystone to Justice: Preserving the Janet Reno Audiovisual Recordings
Amount: $27,750
Organization: The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
Project: Preserving Minds: Digitizing Historic Psychiatric Films of the University of Nebraska Medical Center
Amount: $17,562
Organization: University of Pittsburgh – of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
Project: Preserving the “Let’s Tell a Story” Radio Recordings
Amount: $25,946
Organization: Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation
Project: Preserving the Films of Richmond Police Department Surveillance Records (1961-1973)
Amount: $24,585
Since its inception in 2017, the Recordings at Risk program, generously supported by the Mellon Foundation, provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to libraries, archives, museums, and other diverse organizations holding audio or audiovisual materials of high scholarly value. These grants provide vital resources necessary to save cultural heritage that would otherwise be lost to time, contributing to a more comprehensive and inclusive historical record.
The next call for proposals, the last of three in this round of funding, will open in January 2025. Those interested are encouraged to sign up for CLIR’s Grants & Programs Newsletter for updates. For a complete list of funded projects and more information about the program, visit the Funded Projects page and the independent review panel.
Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Associations and Organizations, Awards, Digital Preservation, Funding, Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Preservation
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.