Primary source sound and moving image recordings of the 20th century are seriously endangered by physical deterioration, lack of playback equipment, and rapidly advancing format obsolescence. Time is running out to save our state history.

The California Preservation Program, through the grant-funded California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP) http://calpreservation.org/projects/audiovisual-preservation   has started a web-accessible collection of historic Californiana called California Light and Sound. To date, there are 675 recordings available online from 23 Project partners. Now the CAVPP is reaching out to more California archives and libraries to identify new partners and to preserve more historic Californiana recordings.

Do you have historic, unpublished, recordings of local, regional, or statewide significance? If so, please consider joining the CAVPP! The CAVPP’s free services include digitization, metadata management, quality control and long-term preservation and online access, bringing to light little known recordings via the Internet Archive.

The California Preservation Program will lead a series of workshops to introduce the Project and to train partners on how to use the preservation needs assessment tool CALIPR to assess the needs of audiovisual collections. Potential partners assess the preservation needs of their collections before recordings are selected and digitized through the CAVPP.

The first workshop (for northern California participants) will be held at the Berkeley Public Library Thursday, September 5, 2013 from 9am to 4pm. A workshop for Southern California participants will be held at the University of Southern California Doheny Library Wednesday, October 2, 2013 from 9am to 4pm.

Please RSVP here for a workshop near you.  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lRJfObBsO1EBwk2fo9B2CixGuaDuZUbL9ssCQBArZX4/viewform

If you have audiovisual recordings that document California history in your collection or if you have any questions about joining the CAVPP, please contact Project Coordinator Pamela Vadakan (pamelajean@berkeley.edu/510.642.4665).

best regards,
Barclay Ogden and Pamela Vadakan