Collections, Archives, and Research
Black Women In Radio (https://www.blackwomeninradio.com/about-bwir): Black Women in Radio (BWIR) is committed to the historical preservation of America’s Black female broadcasters and their contributions to Black radio culture and digital media. BWIR conducts ongoing research to capture the perspectives of Black and minority women who might otherwise be excluded or overlooked in historic conversations.
Media History Digital Library (https://mediahistoryproject.org/): A free online resource, featuring millions of pages of books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.
Media and the Movement (https://mediaandthemovement.unc.edu/): Media and the Movement: Journalism, Civil Rights, and Black Power in the American South is directed by Joshua Clark Davis, Assistant Professor at the University of Baltimore and Seth Kotch, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collaboration with Jerry Gershenhorn, Professor of History at North Carolina Central University; Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, Spruill Professor of History at the University of North Carolina; Joey Fink of the University of North Carolina, Gordon Mantler, of Georgetown University; Holly Smith of Spelman College; and Nicole Campbell of WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio and producer for The State of Things.
National Council on Public History (https://ncph.org//): NCPH inspires public engagement with the past and serves the needs of practitioners in putting history to work in the world by building community among historians, expanding professional skills and tools, fostering critical reflection on historical practice, and publicly advocating for history and historians.
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (https://ncph.org/):The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution. We work with communities in the United States and around the world to encourage the understanding, appreciation, and vitality of humanity’s diverse living cultural heritage.
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland (https://www.lib.umd.edu/collections/special/broadcasting): We hold a wide-ranging collection of resources documenting the cultural and technical history of radio and television broadcasting. Our collections include radio and television programming in both commercial and noncommercial broadcasting. Additionally, we hold a variety of resources on broadcast media as a business, with material from corporations and trade organizations, individual radio and television stations, executives, writers, performers, producers and engineers.
Sound Collections Database (https://database.radiopreservation.org/):This database of sound collections is a project of the Library of Congress. The RPTF/ARSC Sound Collections Database is supported by the Radio Preservation Task Force, National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress (RPTF) and ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections). This is the first release of this database. It includes information gathered by the RPTF, and the information will be edited and enhanced in the coming weeks and months. We will also be making changes to this site’s appearance and functionality based on user feedback. The Task Force is also seeking out additional collections to list in the database.
Digital Public Library of America (https://dp.la/): The DPLA partners with libraries throughout the country to make digitized content discoverable and accessible. This repository has a good deal of college, community and educational radio materials. Like the AAPB, they are a viable repository for radio collections.
National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) records (https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/674): This collection, housed at the University of Maryland, documents the history of the NFCB, a national membership organization of community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations, producers, and broadcasters. The paper collection contains approximately 94 linear feet of administrative documents, NFCB publications, legal documents, correspondence with member stations, member station program guides and catalogs, newsletters, photographs, and papers on the development of community radio. There are over 4,000 reel-to-reel magnetic tapes in the program archive.
NFCB Digital Program archive (https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew?query=NFCB): Over 600 historical programs from the National Federation for Community Broadcasters (NFCB) program archive were digitized through a CLIR Recordings-at-Risk grant (see below), and are available for streaming in UMD’s Digital Collections. Content includes live music performances from all over the world, rallies and speeches by political activists, interviews, and cultural and political programs on a wide variety of subjects.
CLIR Recordings-at-Risk grants (https://www.clir.org/recordings-at-risk/): The Council on Library and Information Resources offers modest grants to individuals, organizations and institutions that “support the preservation of rare and unique audio, audiovisual, and other time-based media.” These grants emphasize scholarly value and historically marginalized voices, both of which are often the strengths of college, community and educational radio.
NEH Humanities Collections and References Resources grants (https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/humanities-collections-and-reference-resources): The National Endowment for the Humanities offers grants to “create various reference resources that facilitate use of cultural materials” and covers all formats including sound recordings. Collaboration with other organizations or institutions is recommended.
NEH Preservation Assistance for Smaller Institutions grants (https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions): These grants are specifically designed to “help small and mid-sized institutions — such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities — improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections.”
National Historic Publication and Records Commission grants (https://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement): The NHPRC offers a variety of grants that are conducive to preserving radio history such as Access to Historical Records: Archival Projects, Access to Historical Records: Major Initiatives, and Archives Collaboratives.
National Recording Preservation Foundation (http://recordingpreservation.org/): The NRPF offers modest grants to support “preservation and/or archiving, digitization, collection appraisal and planning, material or professional conservation, and the creation of means for public and or research access to collections.” These grants would be suited for recordings of broadcasts that contain particularly meaningful works, such as speeches by political activists, performances by famous musicians, influential community action or first-person narratives of major events.
Oral History in the Digital Age (http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/): Oral History in the Digital Age (OHDA) is a product of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership project and a collaboration among the Michigan State University Museum; Michigan State University Digital Humanities Center, Matrix; the American Folklife Center (AFC/LOC), the Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH); the American Folklore Society (AFS); the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries; and the Oral History Association. For more information on the development and organization of the project, please visit the OHDA Project Site.
The Lomax Digital Archive (https://archive.culturalequity.org/): The Lomax Digital Archive provides free access to audio/visual collections compiled across seven decades by folklorist Alan Lomax (1915–2002) and his father John A. Lomax (1867–1948).
The entirety of Alan’s photographs and open-reel tape recordings—made between 1946 and 1991—are available here, as well as transcriptions of his 1940s radio programs, and a selection of clips from his film and video-work of the 1970s and 1980s.
Society of American Archivists (https://www2.archivists.org/): The Society of American Archivists empowers archivists to achieve professional excellence and foster innovation to ensure the identification, preservation, understanding, and use of records of enduring value.
SAA is a vital community that promotes the value and diversity of archives and archivists and serves as the preeminent resource for the profession.
Civil Rights History Project — National Survey of Collections, the American Folklife Center (https://www.loc.gov/folklife/civilrights/index.html): On May 12, 2009, the U. S. Congress authorized a national initiative by passing The Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-19) [PDF, 121KB]. The law directs the Library of Congress (LOC) and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to conduct a national survey of existing oral history collections with relevance to the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), and to record new interviews with people who participated in the Movement. The survey information is available here: //www.loc.gov/folklife/civilrights/survey/index.php. The interviews are a permanent part of the national library and the national museum and are available here: //www.loc.gov/collection/civil-rights-history-project/about-this-collection/.
University of Maryland Library of American Broadcasting (https://exhibitions.lib.umd.edu/libraryofamericanbroadcasting): The mission of the Library of American Broadcasting is one of preservation and access. We strive to serve as part of a “collective memory” for an industry whose very nature is ephemeral. New technology and new formats replace the old, and with the future constantly becoming the present, there seems little time available to dwell on what is past.
Much of the history of the broadcasting industry has been preserved, but much work remains to be done. The safekeeping of the documentary evidence of the most influential cultural force of the twentieth century is a job worth doing, and the Library of American Broadcasting is dedicated to help in that task.
Mass Media & Culture archives at the University of Maryland have digitized 17 episodes of the ground-breaking program PowerPoint, and they are now available for streaming. PowerPoint was the first and only live program to focus attention on issues and information of concern to African American listeners using the popular interactive, call-in format.
Institute of Library and Museum Services Grant Programs (https://imls.gov/grants/grant-programs): The mission of IMLS is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Includes funding specifically for small institutions and African American institutions.
Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) (https://www.eai.org/resourceguide/formats.html): The following is a guide to analog and digital video formats, including many that are now extinct or obsolete. A selection of online resources for identifying current and obsolete media formats is also included.
Southern Oral History Program at UNC Center for the Study of the American South (https://sohp.org/): Since 1973, the Southern Oral History Program has worked to preserve the voices of the southern past. We have collected 6,000 interviews with people from all walks of life—from mill workers to civil rights leaders to future presidents of the United States. Made available through UNC’s renowned Southern Historical Collection online, these interviews capture the vivid personalities, poignant personal stories, and behind-the-scenes decision-making that bring history to life.
Indiana University Archive of African American Music and Culture (https://aaamc.indiana.edu/): Established in 1991, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) is a repository of materials covering a range of African American musical idioms and cultural expressions from the post-World War II era. Our collections highlight popular, religious, and classical music, with genres ranging from blues and gospel to R&B and contemporary hip hop. The AAAMC also houses extensive materials related to the documentation of Black radio.
The AAAMC supports the research of scholars, students, and the general public worldwide by providing access to holdings which include oral histories, photographs, musical and print manuscripts, audio and video recordings, educational broadcast programs, and the personal papers of individuals and organizations concerned with Black music. We also invite exploration of our collections and related topics through a variety of public events, print and online publications, and pedagogical resources.
Resonance: The Journal of Sound and Culture (https://online.ucpress.edu/res): Resonance: The Journal of Sound and Culture is an interdisciplinary, international peer reviewed journal that features research and writing of scholars and artists working in fields typically considered to be the domain of sound art and sound studies. These fields may include traditional and new forms of radio, music, performance, installation, sound technologies, immersive realities, and studies-based disciplines such as musicology, philosophy, and cultural studies. The scope extends to other disciplines such as ethnography, cultural geography, ecologies, media archeology, digital humanities, audiology, communications, and architecture. The journal’s purview investigates the research, theory, and praxis of sound from diverse cultural perspectives in the arts and sciences and encourages consideration of ethnicity, race, and gender within theoretical and/or artistic frameworks as they relate to sound. The journal also welcomes research and approaches that explore cultural boundaries and expand upon the concept of sound as a living, cultural force whose territories and impacts are still emerging. Resonance is published quarterly in an online only format.
The Journal of e-Media studies (https://journals.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Journals.woa/xmlpage/4/issue): The Journal of e-Media Studies is a blind peer-reviewed, on-line journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the history and theory of electronic media, especially Television and New Media. It is an inter-disciplinary journal, with an Editorial Board that is chiefly grounded in the methodologies of the field of Film and Television Studies. We welcome submissions across the fields and methodologies that study media and media history.
Current: News for People in Public Media (https://current.org/): Current is a nonprofit news organization covering public media in the U.S for professionals in the industry. Leaders and staff at NPR, PBS, CPB, public radio and TV stations, independent producers, board members, and national policymakers rely on Current for information, inspiration and insights into this mission-driven field.
Current was founded in 1980 by the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, the historic forerunner of both PBS and NPR. For several decades, Current was managed financially by WNET, a leading national producer and PBS station that serves the New York City region.
In 2011, Current became an editorially independent journalistic service of the American University School of Communication, in Washington, D.C.
Other useful resources
https://www.aapd.com/: The American Association of People with Disabilities is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities.
https://www.adl.org/: ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.
https://www.afj.org/: Alliance for Justice is a national association of over 130 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. Since 1979, AFJ has been the leader in advocating for a fair and independent justice system, preserving access to the courts, and empowering others to stand up and fight for their causes.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/: Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.
https://eji.org/: The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
https://naacp.org/: We are the home of grassroots activism for civil rights and social justice.
https://www.thetaskforce.org/: The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. Join us!
https://now.org/: As the grassroots arm of the women’s movement, the National Organization for Women is dedicated to its multi-issue and multi-strategy approach to women’s rights, and is the largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW has hundreds of chapters and hundreds of thousands of members and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since our founding in 1966, NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate: The SPLC is the premier U.S. non-profit organization monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists – including the Ku Klux Klan, the neo-Nazi movement, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, antigovernment militias, Christian Identity adherents and others.
https://charity.lovetoknow.com/501c3_Legal_Help: Obtaining 501(c)(3) legal help can be of great assistance if you do not know what steps need to be taken to get your group recognized as an official non-profit. Many individuals and groups find the application process to be very challenging, and using a lawyer to help you either get started to complete the entire process can be a wonderful investment.
https://charity.lovetoknow.com/List_of_Nonprofit_Organizations: Are you looking for a list of nonprofit organizations that is organized by interest? Here is a partial list of non-profit organizations categorized according to specific focus areas. While some of the organizations could fall into numerous categories, each organization appears on the list only once and is categorized according to primary area of interest.