Post written by William R. Vanden Dries, Indiana University Bloomington 

ARSC and the Radio Preservation Task Force (RPTF) are developing a national database to identify, map, and make searchable information regarding historical recordings, beginning with radio broadcasts. The initiative has its roots in the reports published by the Library of Congress, The State of Recorded Sound Preservation in the United States: A National Legacy at Risk in the Digital Age (2010) and The Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Plan (2012). Following discussion between ARSC and the Radio Preservation Task Force, radio broadcast collections were identified as a high priority and an area in which the two groups could collaborate to initiate the national database of recorded sound collections recommended in the 2012 plan. Once the database is established for radio broadcast and radio-related collections and includes the bulk of known radio collections around the country, the scope of the database will expand to include additional collections.

ARSC agreed to be caretaker of the online website and database’s technological needs. Volunteers on ARSC’s Online Media Committee (OMC) executed the installation of the software needed for the online site, which is a Ruby on Rails site. The OMC continues to manage the technological needs of the site, and is working with the RPTF metadata team to update the information about the collections as metadata is gathered and edited.

The RPTF is taking the lead on gathering, editing, and updating the collection information included in the database. Prior to the start of the ARSC-RPTF collaboration, three RPTF teams worked for over a year identifying radio broadcast collections around the country. Metadata was gathered from the collection holders and compiled into one place. Gaps in the information were identified and the next phase of information gathering began to fill in gaps and review existing information with the collection holders. The RPTF and ARSC also created an online form for new collections to be added to the project.

ARSC and the RPTF are eager to continue pushing forward with the development of the site, and are looking for volunteers to help with metadata gathering, review, and editing. We are also looking for anyone with experience with Ruby on Rails that would like to assist with the design and maintenance of the online website and database. If you would like to volunteer with this project in any of these capacities, please contact William Vanden Dries at wrvandendries[at]gmail.com.

To view the site in its current, draft format, please visit arsc-audio2.org.