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by Shelley RogersAssociate Professor and Senior Cataloger; Library Liaison to the Department of Music

University of West Georgia

Preservation and Access to Recital History: A Cataloging

Project at UWG

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Description of a project at U. of West Ga. of transferring music recital history from cassette tapes to compact discs; also, associated copyright concerns and digitization efforts.

Abstract

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The 2014 annual conference of the Music Library Association featured sessions on preservation, which inspired me to convert our cassette tapes to compact discs and to save the digital files for future streaming use.

How I Got the Idea

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The 2015 annual conference of the Music Online Users Group (MOUG) featured a plenary session on digitization of institutional recordings in Texas.

More Info

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UWG used cassette tapes to record recitals by music students and concerts by others, like faculty and guest artists. These are actual tapes from the circulating collection.

Cassette tapes are deteriorating

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This medium was utilized approximately 1996-2003. (Compact discs were used after that.) That means we had about 8 years worth of tapes--259 titles--that were becoming useless due to their condition.

Cassette tapes

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These are the boxes of archival tapes, which did not circulate. Duplicate copies were available in the circulating collection for checkout. If the circulating tape was broken, I used the archival tape for this project.

Special Collections tapes

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I used a tape deck connected to a computer to record the music on the tape to the C drive of a computer. Using Sound Forge Pro 10 software, I created tracks and burned a CD of the concert. (We bought version 11 for me to use on my computer, but a software glitch meant it did not work well, so I borrowed a computer from Special Collections that had version 10 loaded on it, which worked fine.) I also stored the WAV files on an external hard drive and hope to make them available electronically later as streaming files.

Workflow: technical processes

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Start by opening a new window in Sound Forge Pro

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OK settings

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Opened window

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There are two ways to record the tape into the software: click on the red bulls-eye record button in the top left of the control panel, or click on the record button in the lower left of the opened window. After clicking the button, start playing the tape.

Record

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Complete recording

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Insert markers at the beginning and end of the recording, and at the beginning and end of each work. Delete the dead space between works.

Insert markers

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Create regions from markers

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Okay the conversion

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The orange markers are now green regions.

Regions created

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Create tracks from regions

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Tracks created

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Save the file as the call number, as it will also be a unique file name. Do not put a period at the end (e.g., "Feb.") because it will cause problems with the WAV file; however, it is okay to have a period in the middle of the file name for the first Cutter.

Save as call number

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Insert a blank CD-R disc in the D drive and start the CD burn.

Burn CD

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I generally burned the discs at max speed with Sound Forge Pro 10, but this was a problem with version 11.0.

Burn settings

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The software will burn the lead in first, then the tracks. I experienced problems with the track burn in Sound Forge Pro 11.0; it would freeze and the disc was wasted.

Burning messages

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Successful burn message

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Go back to your C drive and locate the files: an SFK file and a WAV file.

Work with files

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Delete SFK file

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My library bought an external hard drive with 1 terabyte of space for me. My external hard drive has 820 GB free of 931 GB, so this project used 111 GB.

Send WAV file to external hard drive

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Delete C drive file

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I did full original cataloging of the CDs in RDA, and the discs were processed and added to our circulating collection. I provided an insert for the CD jewel case by copying and pasting the call number, title/statement of responsibility, and contents note from the bibliographic record. I discarded the circulating tape, which involved taking holdings out of the catalog. I also added holdings in our local catalog for the archival tape held by Special Collections, since our original cataloging had only noted the circulating copy.

Workflow: cataloging processes

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I created an Excel spreadsheet to record my progress. I can go back later to update a record; also, holdings are easily identified, whether local (6-digit Voyager number) or global (8-digit OCLC number). This could serve as a basis for metadata creation later.

Tracking the cataloging process

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• Performer owns the copyright, with the institution having limited rights• Best practice is to have present performers (students, faculty,

guest artists) sign a waiver of rights• Former performers can't be located, so provide copyright

protection for the institution by placing recordings behind a firewall; i.e., only authenticated users can access online, whether on or off campus

Copyright best practices

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• UWG does not have an institutional repository yet and we are not streaming our recitals• University of Texas at Austin has successful IR practice• Baylor University is contemplating streaming

Streaming best practices

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• Streaming graduate student recital recordings through IR since Jan. 2014• Recording studio makes digital audio files (and PDF files for the recital

programs) for current recitals• Create Dublin Core metadata for the repository• MARC record created on OCLC for each recital with URL to the IR• Access restricted to those with UT EID (Electronic IDentification)• http://musicoclcusers.org/wp-content/uploads/Ringwood-Recital-

Recordings-at-UT.ppt

Alan Ringwood,Head, Music & Multimedia Resources Cataloging, University of Texas at Austin

approximately 700 music students

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• Record recital in WAV format• Metadata added and tracks notated in real time• MP3 created and both files uploaded to Box• WAV file moved to preservation server• MP3 moved to ContentDM• Student worker adds metadata• Work is quality controlled and released• http://musicoclcusers.org/wp-content/uploads/Recital-recordings.pptx

Chris Diamond,Library Information Specialist IV, Baylor University

approximately 400 music studentsProposed Digitization

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Shelley Rogersshelley@westga.edu

678-839-6351

Questions & Discussion