Alexandria, VA—The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced $796,320 in grants to digitize rare and unique audio/visual materials through its Recordings at Risk program. This eleventh cohort of the program will support 26 projects, adding to the impressive tally of over 59,000 vulnerable audio and/or visual recordings already preserved through previous funding cycles. In the context of rapidly evolving digital technologies and the urgent need for cultural preservation, CLIR’s program stands as a crucial initiative. It aligns with other national and global efforts, such as the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Plan and UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, in recognizing the critical importance of audiovisual materials to our historical record.

“These projects represent a crucial effort to bring to light the rich histories and cultural contributions of communities that have long been marginalized,” said Charles Henry, president of CLIR. “In this moment, it is more important than ever to ensure that these voices are not only preserved but also celebrated and integrated into our collective narrative. By digitizing these collections, we are bridging gaps in historical knowledge and promoting a more equitable representation of our diverse society.”

The diverse projects selected for this cycle reflect the rich tapestry of American and global history. Highlights include:

• Digitization of field recordings from the Austral Islands (1950-1982)
• Preservation of films documenting Chicago’s political landscape
• Audio archives of the longest-running Asian American theater group in the U.S.

                                                                                                                 Cycle 11 Projects

Organization: American Craft Council (ACC)

Project: The Voice of American Craft: Preserving and Enhancing Access to the Audio/Visual Archives of the American Craft Council

Amount: $38,268

 

Organization: American Jewish Archives (AJA)

Project: The Global Voice of the Jewish Community: Saving the Films of B’nai B’rith International

Amount: $43,985

 

Organization: Amherst Center for Russian Culture (ACRC)

Project: Voices of Soviet Theater History: Digitizing the Alma Law Collection

Amount: $49,929

Organization: Austin Film Festival (AFF)

Project: Austin Film Festival Presents On Story: Inspiring and instructional curations from the entertainment industry’s leading writers, filmmakers, and creators that serve to boldly encourage and stimulate the next generation of storytellers.

Amount: $47,549

 

 Organization: Chicago City Clerk’s Office

Project: Digitizing the Chicago City Council Audio Recordings:1970-2010

Amount: $38,260

Organization: Chicago Film Archives

Project: Small Gauge, Big Shoulders: Digitizing Bill Stamets’ Super-8 Magnetic Sound Films of Public Life in Chicago

Amount: $44,450

 

Organization: The City College of New York – Dominican Studies Institute

Project: Preserving Dominican Bachata Voices: Digitizing the Deborah Pacini Hernández Music Collection

Amount: $17,082

 Organization: Hammond Castle Museum

Project: Hammond Castle Museum Recordings Digitization Project

Amount: $14,547

Organization: Illinois State Archives

Project: Reformatting the Audio Recordings of the Illinois Legislative Commission to Visit and Examine State Institutions

Amount: $31,800

Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project: Preserving Global Voices: Digitizing Endangered Language Recordings from the Kenneth L. Hale Papers

Amount: $36,151

Organization: Peabody Essex Museum

Project: Austral Islands Field Recordings by Martin Brunor, 1950–1982, at the Peabody Essex Museum’s (PEM) Phillips Library

Amount: $15,399

Organization: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

Project: Efficiency in industry, the workplace, and the home: Preserving the films and audio recordings of time and motion study pioneers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth

Amount: $26,142

Organization: Ree & Jun Kaneko Foundation

Project: Preserving Creative Legacies: The Ree & Jun Kaneko Audiovisual Digitization Project

Amount: $21,313

Organization: Regent University

Project: Preserving the Baptista Film Collection

Amount: $26,517

Organization: The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA Library)

Project: From Rashomon to Shakespeare: Preserving the Formative Years of East West Players (1965-1992)

Amount: $37,073

Organization: The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Project: Selma Fraiberg’s Films: Insights Into Child Development

Amount: $50,000

Organization: Spelman College

Project: Lasting Legacies: Preserving and Providing Access to the Rich Audiovisual History of Spelman College

Amount: $49,995

Organization: State Historical Society of Iowa

Project: Preserving Iowa’s Natural History – Digitizing Iowa Conservation Commission Films, 1940s-1960s

Amount: $18,971

Organization: The Strong National Museum of Play

Project: Digitizing the Anne D. Williams Collection: Preserving and Sharing the Historical Impact of Jigsaw Puzzles

Amount: $10,860

Organization: Thornton Library

Project: Granville County’s Black educators, interviewed by James Eddie McCoy

Amount: $15,180

Organization: UBalt Foundation

Project: Preserving and Providing Access to Baltimore Television News Station (WMAR), 1984-1993 (Phase Two)

Amount: $42,555

Organization: University of Miami Libraries

Project: The Keystone to Justice: Preserving the Janet Reno Audiovisual Recordings

Amount: $27,750

Organization: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Project: Preserving Minds: Digitizing Historic Psychiatric Films of the University of Nebraska Medical Center

Amount: $17,562

Organization: University of Pittsburgh

Project: Preserving the “Let’s Tell a Story” Radio Recordings

Amount: $25,946

Organization: Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries

Project: Preserving the Films of Richmond Police Department Surveillance Records (1961-1973)

Amount: $24,585

Organization: William Way LGBT Community Center

Project: Reformatting the Gaydreams Radio Show Recordings

Amount: $24,450

Since its inception in 2017, the Recordings at Risk program, generously supported by the Mellon Foundation, provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to libraries, archives, museums, and other diverse organizations holding audio or audiovisual materials of high scholarly value. These grants provide vital resources necessary to save cultural heritage that would otherwise be lost to time, contributing to a more comprehensive and inclusive historical record.

The next call for proposals, the last of three in this round of funding, will open in January 2025. Those interested are encouraged to sign up for CLIR’s Grants & Programs Newsletter for updates. For a complete list of funded projects and more information about the program, visit the Funded Projects page and the independent review panel.

About CLIR

The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.

About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

For media inquiries, please contact Stacey Patton, Director of Communications, spatton@clir.org.