Digitally Preserving Treasures At Carolina And Beyond
Published on September 26, 2015“We are one of only a handful of institutions in the country positioned to do this kind of work on a large scale.”
“We are one of only a handful of institutions in the country positioned to do this kind of work on a large scale.”
The sound, video and motion picture film holdings within University Libraries’ Southern Folklife Collection (SFC) — which include the first recordings of “We Shall Overcome” and the recording of a 13-year-old Dolly Parton singing “Puppy Love” — are national treasures.
Since 2014, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has supported the SFC in its work as a leader in the preservation of audiovisual recordings. A $1.75 million Mellon grant in 2018, the largest ever to the University Libraries, will help Carolina digitally preserve and provide online access to treasures from the SFC and other collections in the Wilson Special Collections Library, as well as six partner institutions across the state. This means people all over the world will be able to access the many gems among the Collection’s 250,000 sound recordings, 3,000 video holdings, and 6 million feet of film.
“We are one of only a handful of institutions in the country positioned to do this kind of work on a large scale,” said Steve Weiss, curator of the SFC.
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This is story number 63 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.
