The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) has awarded $5,000 to the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland to support the revitalization and migration of the Sound Collections Database, a critical resource for searching and identifying unique audio collections across the United States.
The Sound Collections Database (SCD) was originally developed between 2013 and 2016 as part of a flagship initiative by the Radio Preservation Task Force (RPTF). Led by a team headed by María Matienzo and Emily Goodmann, the SCD was designed to aggregate information about sound collections in institutions large and small, enable coordinated preservation efforts, and expand scholarly access. With data contributed by dozens of researchers over many years, the database provides one of the most comprehensive inventories of American radio and sound recordings in existence. The current project to update the database builds on this foundation, addressing critical infrastructure challenges such as software deprecation and broken submission workflows.
The work will be undertaken by MITH. Stephanie Sapienza, Digital Humanities Archivist at MITH and Research Director for the Sound Submissions Project, will lead the project, with assistance from Senior Research Software Developer Raffaele Viglianti. NRPF’s support will enable data model improvements, establish sustainable workflows for future updates, and ensure long-term accessibility of this vital resource for researchers, archivists, and preservation professionals. Said Sapienza, “This is the type of critical infrastructure work that often goes unseen, but underpins the success of virtually every preservation initiative that depends on understanding the scope and condition of our nation’s audio heritage.The Sound Collections Database represents not only a trove of data about historically significant collections, but also the years of research, outreach, and stewardship contributed by a national network of scholars and archivists. Ensuring its ongoing accessibility is essential to honoring and continuing that labor.”
This work aligns with the crucial and ongoing work of the RPTF’s Sound Submissions Project (SSP), which supports the preservation and discovery of historically marginalized or at-risk sound collections that fill significant gaps in the historical record. SSP works directly with private collectors, independent archivists, and under-resourced institutions to provide flexible, needs-based preservation support. The Sound Collections Database now allows users to view all collections connected to the SSP—whether already preserved, actively being processed, or identified for future attention—through a dedicated filter on the search page.
The updated SCD will also include new enhancements aimed at improving usability and discovery. These include streamlined browsing options that distinguish between collections with sound recordings and those about the history of sound and radio; improved subject and genre categories for more intuitive searching; and a reconciled set of terms for physical formats and carriers, making it easier for users to understand the types of materials available. Together, these updates ensure that the SCD remains a dynamic, accurate, and accessible resource for researchers, preservationists, and the broader public.
This project marks NRPF’s first award in Maryland, expanding the Foundation’s geographic reach while supporting the preservation of digital infrastructure that supports research about and with audio collections. Jesse Johnston, Secretary and Executive Director of NRPF, explained that this award broadens the reach and impact of NRPF’s preservation support. “While much audio preservation work requires the digitization of analog sound recordings, this work represents the important work of documenting and making searchable unique and at-risk audio collections. Rehabilitating this database is critical for understanding the extent of collections and preservation needs across the country,” said Johnston. “The Sound Collections Database has been an important resource for over a decade, and without support, we were concerned that this valuable research tool for the preservation community could have become inaccessible. This kind of infrastructure support is just as vital to our mission as digitization.”
For more information, please visit the National Recording Preservation Foundation’s website at https://www.recordingpreservation.org/ or contact info@recordingpreservation.org.
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About the NRPF
The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) is an independent, charitable organization and registered 501(c)(3) entity. The NRPF works across the United States to foster awareness of the diverse perspectives and communities documented in audio, to support the preservation of historical and at-risk audio collections, and to coordinate resources for the digital preservation of audio recordings. The NRPF was mandated through federal charter by the U.S. Congress under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-474) and was thereafter duly incorporated in 2010.
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