Accidental Audio Archival Education Inside This Issue
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Spring 2012 Accidental Audio Archival Education Robin C. Pike Colleagues in libraries neering Society, the Price cassette player field. I also networked and archives frequently Technical Committee of (without breaking any with audio engineers and ask how I was trained to the Association of Re- parts) because I wanted other specialists who cre- do what I do. While a set corded Sound Collec- to see how the insides ated the set-ups and stan- of requirements exists for tions, and the Technical worked. My first formal dards. With this experi- archival education, and Committee of the Interna- training occurred when I ence, I created policies numerous institutions tional Association of was in college, as a music and procedures for audio offer masters’ and certifi- Sound and Audiovisual education major—I was archiving and created an cation pro- Archives). required to take a course audio digitization station. grams, no one After learning on commercial music Like everyone else I’ve what is technology that could be known in the field, by set of require- “Most of the audio ments or one needed from a helpful in the classroom. picking up information training that does training pro- digital preser- While attaining my MLIS, from a variety of sources, gram has been exist is highly vation and I took a course titled I was able to gain enough designed for technical and archival per- “Sound and Moving Im- knowledge to succeed. spective, age Archives,” though it people inter- frequently geared to ested in audio- these indi- was limited in scope and (Continued on page 2) serve audio visual archives. viduals fre- did not cover practical Most of the au- engineers.” quently have aspects of digitization and dio training an easier time digital audiovisual collec- that does exist in the field tions. is highly technical and because they frequently geared to are more familiar with the For four years, I worked serve audio engineers. technical side of equip- as the Audiovisual Archi- Inside this issue: This is unfortunate, be- ment and materials. Being vist at The Catholic Uni- cause few institutions a musician and former versity of America—a have audio engineers on music educator, I fell into small university in Wash- More Than Meets the Ear 2 staff in their archives. the category of subject ington, DC—and was re- Many audio archivists specialist. However, be- sponsible for photo- start out either as audio cause of my love of me- graphic, audio, and mov- Descriptive Challenges ... 4 engineers or subject spe- dia, I decided to pursue ing-image media in the cialists who have learned this track, unlike many manuscript collections to work with the formats archivists who find audio- and university records. Columbia Records ... 6 presented to them. Audio visual problems in their During that time, I en- engineers are adept at collections and have no hanced my experience creating production sys- prior training. by taking workshops on What is the Secret in that 7 tems and predicting the audiovisual analog pres- Ketchup Sauce? technology needed for I was exposed to legacy ervation and audiovisual projects, and they often media and equipment at digitization specifications, set professional standards an early age. When I was reading numerous papers (such as standards cre- two, I somehow managed and other resources pub- ated by the Audio Engi- to take apart my Fisher- lished by leaders in the Continued from page 1 I recently started work- reformatting done across Conservation Center ing as the Digital Collec- numerous library units for Art and Historic tions Librarian and head (and I look forward to the Artifacts, “A Race of the new Digital Con- challenge!); my addi- Against Time: Pre- version and Media Re- tional responsibility is to serving our Audio- formatting unit at the educate my new col- visual Media” University of Maryland, leagues on these stan- Lyrasis, College Park. I was dards and processes, “Preservation and brought to the university explaining why they are Salvage of Audiovis- namely for my skill with necessary for the lon- ual Materials” audio digitization but gevity of audiovisual ma- also for my experience terials and content. The Less technically-worded with archives and spe- accidental audio-archival resources are currently cial collections materials education cycle begins being developed at: as well as digital collec- again … http:// tions. Already I have had www.digitizationguidelin numerous conversations For archivists wishing to es.gov/audio-visual/ . with curators and collec- further their own audio- Another helpful resource tion managers concern- archival education, two that will lead to many ing their collections’ helpful workshops are other resources is Con- needs. My job is to es- offered semi-regularly servation OnLine: http:// tablish uniform stan- (check the organizations’ cool.conservation- dards and workflows for websites for more de- us.org/bytopic/audio/ . all the conversion and tails): More Than Meets the Ear Arjun Sabharwal Recorded sound repre- ment is created by our media formats that are or sents different things to diminished capabilities are not digital? What different specializations in “If something is to play recordings on about prevailing attitudes the archival profession not accessible diverse historical-media towards pre-digital for- and, in fact, to others in formats and to reformat through a mobile mats? Popular attitudes the information profes- recordings for digital reduce the value of sion. In an environment device, it does not access. Shrinking budg- knowledge on the basis of dominated by new media, exist. “ ets and shrinking archi- its format: If something is file-sharing networks, mo- val staffs further prevent not accessible through a bile devices, and other researchers from proc- mobile device, it does not digital technologies, essing the knowledge exist. Copyright law as sound recordings repre- places, events, people, contained on rare media. well as legal and ethical sent more than just con- and organizations that no What then is the mean- obligations stated in tent; they are cultural arti- longer are around. In ing of recorded sound in deeds of gift may, after facts and primary-source most cases, this knowl- a “digitally” saturated all, hinder or prevent the documents containing re- edge is not accessible in society with an accessi- full-scale digitization of corded knowledge of print form. A predica- bility divide between such recordings. (Continued on next page 3) Page 2 Spring 2012 Continued from previous page Repositories holding re- the industrial, political, trast to the various vinyl on weekends in the shop- corded sound in diverse intellectual, cultural, and formats (33, 45, 78 rpm)— ping malls. media formats must con- economic contexts of presented a significant Recorded sounds repre- sider two fundamental those recordings. Copy- advantage in portability, sent culture, industry, aspects of such collec- right law protects such akin to cassettes being commerce, and knowl- tions: (1) research, and (2) content, so even if refor- more portable than reel- edge—all of which will be intrinsic value, where the matting is necessitated by to-reel tapes. With these extremely valuable to re- former refers to providing the deteriorating condi- formats came walkman- searchers, regardless of access to knowledge and tion of the media itself, type players, gradually format, if sound is dili- the latter aims at preserv- public access to the con- replaced by MP3, mini- gently identified, col- ing the media format tent may not be as auto- disc, and other digital lected, and preserved. (preserving both content matic as technophiles ex- players that testify to peo- Individuals, corporations, and media) for its own pect. ple’s desire to carry less civic organizations, and sake. We undoubtedly around. Today, however, academic institutions may have much to learn from they are testaments to never overestimate the recording technologies consumers’ attachments to value of their collections, that produced mono, ste- “Recorded sounds (if not altogether depend- as there always will be reo, and quadraphonic represent culture, ence on) the cloud, the more than meets the ear. sound, and from the me- Web, and other shared Recorded sound therefore industry, dia types and the equip- platforms. remains a deep subject. ment compatible with commerce, and them. Recordings docu- Such developments also ment not only the informa- knowledge…” speak to an evident de- tion shared but also the gree of social disengage- industries that produced ment in the public space, and marketed the formats. THANKS TO where headphones and A record jacket contain- NANCY MAYSMITH As cultural artifacts, sound ear buds hinder and even ing the vinyl, liner notes, recordings are salient prevent social engage- FOR PROVIDING and poster presents infor- members of special and ment. Communication mation about the large OUR ROUNDTABLE archival collections. They devices combined with networks of industries in- speak volumes to attitudes media players furthers WITH A BEAUTIFUL volved in the produc- shared about media— social isolation in the pub- tion—an element that is LOGO. values associated with lic space as users often missing entirely from ease of use, portability, speak on the phone be- WWW.MAYSMITH downloadable media to- economic status, and tween listing to music, day. DESIGN.COM other intangible charac- radio, or other programs. teristics of society. Eight- Perhaps one consolation Explicit and tacit aspects tracks, for instance, repre- for pre-digital media en- to knowledge merit a sent Americans’ attach- thusiasts is that re- thorough and holistic ment to the automobile— formatting the old re- strategy in developing a the media was designed cordings for digital play- metadata record. Explicit to suit the lifestyles of ers may help in the pres- knowledge, in this con- people who spent an in- ervation efforts; but we text, would include the creasing amount of time in still may be far from see- information obtained from commuting to work, ing youngsters listening to the recorded speeches, school, entertainment oral histories, presidential interviews, and other venues, and shopping.