KCSM FM Jazz Archives Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-50290-08

KCSM (San Mateo, CA 94402-3757)
Marilyn Lawrence (Project Director: May 2007 to December 2009)

Hiring a recorded sound preservation specialist to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of the more than 27,000 audio recordings in the radio station's jazz collection.

KCSM FM (Jazz 91) is requesting funding to contract with an audio preservation specialist associated with Stanford University to conduct a general preservation assessment of our nearly 25,000 unique jazz recordings and approximately 2,000 jazz interviews. Our jazz collection is unique, in that it is comprised primarily of West Coast Jazz recordings from the 1930s and up, with a strong connection to the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene. Our assessment will focus on three areas for recommendation: 1) establishment of best practices for storage and handling of collection materials; 2) recommendations for optimal practices for digital reformating or archival materials, identifying priorities based on physical condition and format; and 3) organization and indexing of this rare jazz collection for the station. Our primary priority is to preserve the out of print phonodiscs from this jazz collection, particularly those reflecting the work of artists of the West Coast.