The Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is currently developing a large-scale audiovisual preservation and access program for its archival recordings. This presentation serves as an introduction to the research and development phase carried out this past year, as well as the work to be accomplished over the next three years.

1. Extending the Reach of Southern
Audiovisual Sources
The Southern Folklife Collection
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2. VIDEO
Southern Folklife Collection
...archival resource dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating vernacular music, art, and culture
related to the American South.
Total 226937
AUDIO
Total 3520

3. Southern Folklife Collection
...archival resource dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating vernacular music, art, and culture
related to the American South.
FILM
4-6 million feet total
(roughly 3 million processed)
8mm - 23
S8mm - 19
16mm - 2377
35mm - 8

4. Extending the Reach of Southern
Audiovisual Sources
○ Large scale digitization program
for SFC AV materials
■ Prioritization
■ Workflows
■ Technology
■ Online delivery
○ SFC as testbed
■ Sustainability
■ Scalability
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, awarded August 2014 - $187,082
Research & Development

5. Priorities
Surveys
Conservation & Access needs
MediaScore
Format obsolescence
Decision Matrix
Scoring system for: content, rights, uniqueness,
level of previous processing/digitization, and
use

6. Workflows
Processing
In house digitization
Vendor work
Film transfer to cool storage
File ingest to Carolina Digital Repository
File ingest to DuraCloud
Aim to…
• Locate opportunities for automation &
integrate open source tools
• Define project team responsibilities

7. Technology
Digitization needs for multiple ingests
and problem formats:
• Sony PCM-R500 DAT Recorders (x4)
• Otari MX-5050BIII Analog Audio
Tape Recorder
• Steinberg Cubase Pro 8 Software
• Steinberg Wavelab 8.5 Software
QC Needs:
• Cube-Tec AudioCube Dobbin with
Audiofile-Inspector Software
• DigiMetrics Aurora 5 Software

8. Access
↑
ContentDM
↑
Finding aid
⇅(open)⇅(IP address)⇅(UNC)Contract work with DuraCloud
to meet 3 use cases:
• Open access
• Restricted to campus IP range
• Restricted to UNC affiliates (students, faculty, etc.)

9. Implementation
Build project team
Co-Principal Investigators
AV Conservator / Project Director
Audiovisual Archivist
AV Assistant
Audio Engineer
Applications Analyst
SFC awarded second Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant ($986,000 -
September 2015 - 2018)
Photograph from Brown Photograph Album, circa 1970s,
Goldband Recording Corporation (Collection 20245).

10. Implementation (years 1-2)
• Centralize & normalize legacy records
• Develop workflow management
system
• Work through processing backlog
• Incorporate new technology
• Implement and refine workflows
Photos used in Southern Cultures, Goldband Recording Corporation
(Collection 20245)

11. Implementation (year 3)
• Scale support to Wilson Library
• Report on sustainability
Frame from unprocessed film in Penn School Papers
(Southern Historical Collection, 03615)

12. Questions?
Erica Titkemeyer
Audiovisual Conservator
Project Director
etitkem@email.unc.edu
http://library.unc.edu/wilson/sfc