35 Years Of Newscast Recordings To Be Digitized, Archived

A librarian who faithfully taped 35 years of TV news with the hope that one day it would prove to be valuable, searchable historical material did not live to see her dream realized.

But the vision of Philadelphia resident Marion Stokes, who died last year at 83, will become a reality now that her 140,000 video cassettes are being archived in an online library.

The trove, which totals about a million hours of newscasts, is expected to arrive Tuesday at the Internet Archive in Richmond, Calif., where it will be digitized and made available to the public, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported (http://bit.ly/1ksefVO).

"We were awestruck by two things," said Roger Macdonald, the virtual library's director of TV archives. "One, the size of the collection. And two, the human story behind it, that one person could create so extensive a collection."

The massive collection ... includes local news shows from Philadelphia between 1986 and 2012, and broadcasts from Boston, where she once lived, from 1977 to 1986. All the while, she also recorded national news and cable channels, leading to her to run several VCRs simultaneously 24 hours a day.

More from Huffington Post.

Obama Nominates Research Librarian to Head National Archives

A New York librarian has been chosen to become the next archivist of the United States.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the nomination of David S. Ferriero to the run the National Archives and Records Administration.

The 63-year-old Ferriero is currently the director of research libraries at the New York Public Library.

See Also:
New York Librarian Chosen as U.S. Archivist
News Release About Ferrieo from 2004
David Ferrieo’s Wikipedia Entry

Statement of Principles on Copyright Exceptions & Limitations for Libraries & Archives

In many countries, copyright law, through exceptions and limitations, has long supported the essential functions of libraries through statutes that permit functions such as preservation. But these laws have not adequately kept pace for uses of digital information.

Digital Archivists, Now in Demand

"The people entrusted to find a place for this wealth of information are known as digital asset managers, or sometimes as digital archivists and digital preservation officers. Whatever they are called, demand for them is expanding."

See the full text in the NY Times. (Free registration may be required.)

New York State's Archives: Hidden Treasures

October is New York State Archives Month!

Archives in the Capital District are celebrating with a full slate of activities, from a lecture on the Murder at Cherry Hill (Oct 15, 1:00 pm, Albany County Hall of Records) to a candlelight tour of Old Fort Johnson featuring readings from diaries and journals of the 18th and 19th centuries (Oct 25, 7:00-9:00 pm, Old Fort Johnson Historic Site, Montgomery County) to an exhibit based on the letters of a local Civil War soldier (during museum hours, Brookside Museum, Ballston Spa) and much more.

For a complete list of events, visit the Capital District Library Council's web page at www.cdlc.org (click "Archives Month 2008" under "News & Upcoming Events.").

Michael Beschloss, 2008 Empire State Archives History Award honoree, in Albany, NY

Best selling author and presidential historian Michael Beschloss will return to Albany, Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. at The Egg, Center for the Performing Arts at the Empire State Plaza to receive the 2008 Empire State Archives and History Award.

"The New York State Archives Partnership Trust gives this award each year to recognize a national figure for his/her contributions to history. Prior to receiving the award, Mr. Beschloss will engage in a probing hour-and-a-half discussion with nationally prominent author and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer on Mr. Beschloss’s career in history and his thoughts on one of this nation’s most hotly contested presidential elections which will be decided less than two weeks after his Albany appearance."

You may have seen Mr. Beschloss' analysis on broadcast media; I recall his insightful dialogues with the late Peter Jennings of ABC News.

Tickets for the program at The Egg are $10 and can be purchased at The
Egg Box Office by calling (518) 473-1845. Those interested in attending a pre-event fundraising reception with Mr. Beschloss may call (518) 486-3949. Tickets for both the program and reception are limited.

Visit www.nysarchivestrust.org for more information on the program and
the Archives Partnership Trust.

October is New York State Archives Month!

Archives in the Capital District are celebrating with a full slate of activities, from a lecture on the Murder at Cherry Hill (Oct 15, 1:00 pm, Albany County Hall of Records) to a candlelight tour of Old Fort Johnson featuring readings from diaries and journals of the 19th and 19th centuries (Oct 25, 7:00-9:00 pm, Old Fort Johnson Historic Site, Montgomery County) to an exhibit based on the letters of a local Civil
War soldier (during museum hours, Brookside Museum, Ballston Spa) and much more.

For a complete list of events, visit our web page at www.cdlc.org.

And don't forget the kick-off to Archives Month, the Capital Region Archives Dinner. This year's dinner will be on October 1 at The Mansion at Cedar Hill, Selkirk. The speaker will be William "Chip" Reynolds, Captain of the Replica Ship Half Moon and Director of the New Netherland Museum. Tickets to the dinner are $37. Reservation deadline is September 24. To order tickets, contact Susan D'Entremont at CDLC or Kathleen Newkirk, Bethlehem Town Clerk, at 439-4955 ext. 1183 or knewkirk@townofbethlehem.org

State archivist admits stealing more than $50K in artifacts

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Times Union.