For the first time, sound recordings documenting the work and lives of notable cultural figures such as Julia Alvarez, Truman Capote, William Faulkner, Norman Bel Geddes, Norman Mailer, Anne Sexton, and Gloria Swanson will be publicly available for research. [Read more…] about NEH helps to break the sound barrier
In 2010, The Chronicle of Higher Education noted, “No campus library in the U.S. mounts exhibitions to rival those of the University of Texas at Austin’s special-collection library, the Harry Ransom Center.” [Read more…] about Help us meet this year’s goal for a National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant
We left off in part one wondering how to evaluate the Ransom Center’s unique non-commercial sound recordings, particularly when we aren’t able to access their audio content prior to preservation. Verifying written descriptions helps, but there are other considerations to keep in mind, such as a recording’s physical format—different types of material become increasingly unstable with age, but at different rates, and in different ways. [Read more…] about Deadline: 2028—Countdown to preserve audio materials
