Belfer Audio Laboratory & Archive
Audio Archiving:
Current Issues and Selected Readings
Association for Recorded Sound Collections
Associated Audio Archives Committee
Audio Preservation: General Issues
Association for Recorded Sound Collections. Associated Audio Archives
Committee. Audio Preservation: a Planning Study - Final Performance
Report. Silver Spring, MD: Association for Recorded Sound Collections,
1987.
(Mammoth study summarizing the results of a grant-funded survey
of sound archiving in the U.S., undertaken by the Associated Audio Archives
Committee of ARSC in 1986 - 1987. Includes an excellent glossary and
bibliography.)
Lance, David, ed. Sound Archives: A Guide to their Establishment
and Development. Special Publication No. 5. Milton Keynes, England:
Internation Association of Sound Archives, 1983.
(Contains articles by Dietrich Schueller, Rolf Schuursma, Mark Jones,
Les Waffen, and others well-known in the field of audio Archiving. Topics
include collection development, technical issues, documentation and
access, and some discussion of specific types of sound recording, including
oral histories and broadcasts.)
The Midwestern Archivist XVI, no. 1 (1991). Issue devoted to
preservation topics.
(Includes articles on audion preservation by Barbara Sawka, Chris
Paton, and Brenda Nelso-Strauss, and a detailed annotated bibliography
of works relating to sound recordings and magnetic and optical media
by Chris Paton.)
Nelson-Strauss, Brenda. "Preservation Policies and Priorities
for Recorded Sound Collections." Notes 48, no. 2 (December
1991): 425-436.
(Offers strategies for developing preservation policies and identifying
priorities for sound collection in libraries and archives.)
St.-Laurent,
Gilles. "Preservation of Recorded Sound Materials." ARSC
Journal 23, no. 2 (December 1991): 425-436.
(Originally published by the Commisssion on Preservation and Access
in 1991, this article discussed the recording, retention and playback
of sounr; the degradation mechanisms of sound recording; and the preservation
of discs, tapes, and CD's. A response to this article, cting reservations
regarding a solvent recommended for cleaning records, appears in the
ARSC Journal, vol 24, no. 1 (1993), p. 84. Note: an updated
version of this article is available.)
Van Bogart, John
W.C. Magnetic Tape Storage and Handling: A Guide for Libraries and
Archives. Minneapolis, MN: Commission on Preservation and Access
and the National Media Lab, June 1995.
(A brief and clearly wirtten handbook describing criteria for managing
magnetic media materials in collections. Contains useful drawings and
diagrams, and a modified version of Ampex's "Guide to the Care
ad Handling of Magnetic Tape." A primary resource for libraries
today, as audio tape and computer disks prevail as storage media.)
Ward, Alan. A Manual of Sound Archive Administration. Aldershot, Hants,
England; Brookfield, VT: Gower Publishing Company, 1990.
(A useful resource for sound archivists in the United States and
abroad. Discusses acquisitions, copyright, public access, documentation,
storage, and handling, equipment and facilities, and preservation. Decidedly
British orientation.)
Audio Preservation: Technical Issues
Brock-Nannestad, George. "A Comment and Further Recommendation
on International Rerecording Standards." ARSC Journal
20, no. 2 (Fall 1989): 156-161.
Harrison, Helen P. The Archival Appraisal of Sound Recordings and
Related Materials: A RAMP Study with Guidelines. Paris: UNESCO,
1987.
(A thorough, useful study of issues relating to appraisal and selection
of sound recordings in archives. Discusses legal issues, collecting
scope and policies, conservation and records management, as well as
information on the history and typology of sound recordings and sound
recordings archives.)
Harrison, Helen P., ed. Selection is Sound Archives: Collected
Papers from IASA Conference Sessions. Special Publication No.
5 Milton Keynes, England: International Association of Sound Archives,
1984.
(Individually-authored chapters cover the various criteria for collection
development, and discuss the acquisition of sound recordings by format,
subject, provenance, depository contract, etc.)
Pickett, A.G., and M.M. Lemcoe. Preservation and Storage of Sound
Recordings. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1959. Reprinted
by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Associated Audio Archives
Committee 1991.
(Classic technical study, undertaken by the Library of Congress,
of factors relating to the degradation of sound recordings. Includes
detailed information on testing procedures and on the physical characteristic
of phonograph records and magnetic tape.)
Powell, James, R., Jr. The Audiophile's Technical Guide to 78rpm
Transcription and Microgroove Recordings. Portage, MI: Gramophone
Adventures, 1992.
(A useful resource for both the serious layperson and the more committed
audiophile on cleaning repair and playback of pre-LP disc recordings.
Discusses the different types of surface materials, the variety of groove
sizes, preservation practices, and general playback parameters. Includes
a useful glossary and bibliography.)
Smith, Leslie E. "Factors Governing the Long Term Stability of
Polyester-based Recording Media. Abstract." Restaurator (1991)
vol 12, pp. 201-218.
(This report summarized conclusions from investigations into the
chemistry and aging characteristics of magnetic tape made at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology during the previous decade. Some
recommendations for storage, handing and use are also made based on
the properties of the constituent materials.)
Smolian, Steven. Preservation Appraisal of Sound Recordings Collections.
Frederick, MD: Smolian Sound Preservation Studios, 1995.
(This brief pamphlet provides an overview of the various parameters
that are considered during an appraisal of a recorded sound collection.)
Strom, WIlliam. "A Proposal for the Establishment of Interantional
Rerecording Standards." ARSC Journal 15, no. 2-3 (1983):
26-37.
(An appeal for the development of standards for archival preservation
transfer recording. This article discusses issues that are still relevant
today, and have yet to be resolved.)
Warren, Richard. "Handling of Sound Recordings." ARSC Journal
25, no, 2 (Fall 1994): 139-162.
(An outgrowth of the ARSC/AAA Planning Study survey listed above,
this article is a blend of technical information and common sense, providing
a resource for information on current recommended handling practices,
specific topics requiring further study, and dangerous practices that
should be avoided at all costs.)
Warren, Richard. "Storage of Sound Recordings." ARSC Journal
24, no, 2 (Fall 1993): 130-175.
(An authoritative discourse on storage considerations for sound
recording, which include the site and design of the buiding, the interior
environment, security issues, and shelving concerns. Lists current recommended
practices for storage, and a detailed annotated bibliography.)
Wheeler, Jim. "Increasing the Life of Your Audio Tape."
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society 36, no. 4 (April 1988):
232-236.
(Written by a representative of Ampex Corporation, this article
discusses appropriate storage and handing procedures for increasing
the life of magnetic tape.)
Historical Formats
ARSC Journal vol 26, no. 2 (1995). Issue devoted to Cylinder
Records.
(An outgrowth of papers presented at the technical session of the
1993 ARSC Annual Conference. Includes articles by Steve Smolian, Peter
Shambarger, Raymond R. Wile, and Bill Klinger.)
Gelatt, Roland. The Fabulous Phonograph, 1877-1977. 2nd Rev.
Ed. New York: Macmillian, 1977.
(An accessible Account of the invention and development of the phongraph.
Includes chapters on recording company histories and recording artists.)
Read, Oliver and Walter L. Welch. From Tinfoil to Stereo: Evolution
of the Phonograph. 2d ed. Indianapolis, IN: H.W. Sams, 1976.
(An encylopedic approach to the history of the phongraph, with an
empahsis on early cylinde and disc technologies. Includes detailed information
on the history of the Edison companies. Useful appendices provide listings
by names, terms, and companies. An abbreviated third edition, covering
only the acoustic years, was published in 1994.)
Cataloging
Association for Recorded Sound Collections. Associated Audio Archives.
Rules for Archival Cataloging of Sound Recordings. Association
for Recorded Sound Collections, rev. 1995.
(The second edition of the classic descriptionof rules for the archival
cataloging of sound recordings developed by the Associated Audio Archives
Committee of ARSC in 1980. This revision offers a clarification of the
rules, based on teh Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) and the
MARC Music format, and adds a bibliography and a glossary extracted
from the AAA Planning Study, listed above.)
Thomas, David H. Archival Information Processing for Sound Recordings.
MLA Technical Report no. 21. Music Library Association, 1992.
(A summary of the design of a database which was created for the
Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New
York Public Library to provide unified data management for the acquisition,
cataloging and preservation of noncommercial sound collections.)
Audio Visual Materials
Archiving the Audiovisual Heritage: Third Joint Technical Symposium,
May 3-5, 1990, Ottawa, Canada. George Boston, ed. Technical Coordinating
Committee and UNESCO, 1992.
(The collected papers of the 1990 Joint Technical Symposium include
such general topics as preservation issues in tropical climates, aging
of signal carriers, standards for storage, restoration, new formats,
and multi-media materials. The collected papers from the Joint Technical
Symposia in Ottawa and Berlin, cited below, can be ordered from George
Boston, 14 Dulverton Dr., Furzton; Milton-Keynes MK$ 1DE; England; email:
gboston@gn.opc.org. The papers
from the fourth Joint Technical Symposium in London, held at the British
Film Institute in January 1995, are forthcoming.)
Archiving the Audio-Visual Heritage: A Joint Technical Symposium,
Federation Internationale des Archives de Televsion, International Association
of Sound Archives. Eva Orbanz, Helen P. Harriso, and Henning Schou,
ed. Berlin, Germany: Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek, 1988.
(An anthology of papers presented in 1987 at the Joint Technical
Symposium in Berlin. Topics include handling, transfer and aging of
various audio-visual formats, the effects of fire damage, tropical archives,
cylinder playback systems, and digital signal processing. Copies can
be ordered from George Boston, 14 Dulverton Dr., Furzton; Milton-Keynes
MK$ 1DE; England; email: gboston@gn.opc.org.)
Dick, Ernest J. "Through the Rearview Mirror: Moving Image
and Sound Archives in teh 1990's." Archivaria 28 (1989): 68-73.
(An exploration of the advent and proliferation of audiovisual documtation
in the twentieth century, and the complex conservation problems that
the newer formats present.)
Copyright
Roederer, Charlotte. "Copyright Status of Historical Recordings
- Protecting and Promoting the Public Domain." ARSC Journal
23, no. 1 (Spring 1992): 30-34.
(An outgrowth of a panel presentation at the 1990 Joint Copyright
Session of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), the
International Association of Sound Archives (IASA), and the Canadian
Music Library Association, (CAML) in Ottawa.)
Shaw, Brian. "Brian Shaw on Copyright Issues." ARSC Journal
24, no. 1-.
(Attorneys from the Rochester, New York law firm of Cumpston and
Shaw respond to questions on teh subject of fair use, copyright law
and sound recordings. A regular feature of the ARSC Journal beginning
with the Spring 1993 issue.)
Stover, Suzane. "Copyright and Fair Use of Sound Recordings: A
Preliminary Resource Guide." ARSC Journal 26, no.
1 (Spring 1995): 72-78.
(A listing of basic resources on the subject of copyright, fair
use, and sound recordings, including Internet Sources.)
Government Publications on Copyright
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20559; 202.707-9100 "hotline"
or 202 707-3000 general number. Much of this information can also be found
at the US Copyright Office
website.
Compiled in August 1996, by Suzanne Stover, Eastment School of Music;
co-authored with Sue Stinson, Syracuse University, and Chris Paton, Georgia
State University. Some of the annoations in this document are drawn in
part from material previously published in The Midwestern Archivist, 16:1
(1991), pp.31-47.
© 1996 ARSC / AAA
|
