Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Archives

Subseries 1.1: President, 1966-1993 (.50 linear feet)

The President is the chief executive officer of ARSC, responsible for the guidance and direction of the activities undertaken to achieve the objectives of ARSC during his term of office. The President presides at meetings of the membership and of the Board of Directors and at other required times; prepares a report on the state of the Association for presentation at the annual membership meeting; appoints the committee chairs and serves as ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; and represents ARSC, or designates an alternate to do so, on all occasions when ARSC representation or participation is appropriate or desirable.

Beginning in 1973, the offices of the President and Vice President were changed. Following the change, in lieu of a Vice President, each President was elected to serve as First Vice-President/President Elect for one year preceding their two-year term as President then followed by a one-year term as Immediate Past President. Consequently, files in this series created after this change may contain documents from any or all of these three roles.

The First Vice-President/President-Elect, or the Immediate Past-President, performs the duties of the President in the absence of the President, and such other duties as the President or the Board of Directors may assign.

This series contains files created by Presidents of ARSC and is arranged by President in order of term of service.

Subseries 1.2: Vice President (Now Defunct), 1965-1976 (.50 linear feet)

This subseries contains files created by Vice President of ARSC. The office of Vice President was discontinued in 1973 as described in series 1.1. This subseries contains records created by ARSC Vice Presidents and is arranged in order by term of service.

Subseries 1.3: Second Vice President/Program Director, 1965-1994 (.50 linear feet)

The Second Vice President/Program Director is responsible for the conference program at the annual membership meeting and works in conjunction with the Local Arrangements Committee to prepare meeting spaces and logistics for the annual meeting. This series contains records created by the Second Vice President and is arranged in order of term of service. Some files related to this series may be found in the Local Arrangements Committee files in Series 2.

Subseries 1.4: Treasurer, 1962-2012 (2.00 linear feet)

The Treasurer is responsible for funds and securities received and disbursed by ARSC. The Treasurer deposits monies and negotiable instruments in the name, and to the credit, of ARSC; authorizes and disburses required funds to meet financial obligations approved by the Board of Directors; keeps full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements; and presents a statement of income and expense at meetings of the Board of Directors and of the general membership. This series contains records created by ARSC Treasurers and is arranged in order by terms of service.

Subseries 1.5: Secretary, 1966-1994 (3.00 linear feet)

The Secretary records the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the membership; sends copies of the minutes to the members of the Executive Committee; and makes a written report at the annual membership meeting. This series contains records of the Secretary and is arranged in order by terms of service. Note: this series contains correspondence written during Paul Jacksons tenure as Vice President, however, he kept his former role as business secretary, handling all journal related correspondence and memberships, therefore correspondence related to that role is housed in the secretarial subseries. Correspondence that is related to his role as VP is housed in the VP subseries.

Subseries 1.6: Executive Director, 1977-1983 (1.50 linear feet)

The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors, appointed by the President with the approval of the Board. The Executive Director attends meetings of the ARSC membership, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee; is responsible for notices about and handling any business associated with meetings; conducts the business affairs of ARSC; and other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors. This subseries contains the files of the Executive Director of ARSC and is arranged in order by term of service.

Subseries 1.7: Founding and Governing Documents, 1965-1972 (.50 linear feet)

This subseries contains founding and governing documents of ARSC including the constitution and by-laws and minutes from the early meetings detailing the founding and incorporation of ARSC.

Subseries 2.1: Board of Directors/Executive Committee, 1968-2003 (1.50 linear feet)

The Executive Committee (1966-Present) is composed of the Board of Directors (i.e. ARSC officers and members-at-large) and the chairs of the committees. This series contains officer and committee reports and meeting notes and minutes from meetings of the Board and the Executive Committee.

Subseries 2.2: Archives Committee, 1966-2002 (1.00 linear feet)

The Archives Committee (1986-Present) documents the history of the Association by collecting and maintaining ARSC's permanent files and oversees the transfer of ARSC files to the ARSC archives at the University of Maryland Special Collections in Performing Arts. This series contains correspondence, working documents, and notes from the Archives Committee.

Subseries 2.3: Associated Audio Archivists (AAA) Committee, 1977-1994 (5.00 linear feet)

Note: This committee was called the Associated Audio Archives Committee prior to 1998. The AAA Committee (1974-Present) works to develop and implement cooperative solutions to common problems confronting archival sound collections. Made up of representatives from more than a dozen major public archives, AAA has undertaken some of ARSC's most important archival projects, including the Rigler-Deutsch Index and the 1988 Audio Preservation Study.

Subseries 2.4: ARSC Awards for Excellence Committee, 1989-2003 (3 folders)

ARSC Awards for Excellence Committee (1991-Present) administers the ARSC Awards for Excellence, created in 1991 and are presented to authors and publishers of books, articles, liner notes, and monographs, to recognize outstanding published research in the field of recorded sound, encouraging high standards and promoting awareness of superior works. Awards are presented annually in two categories; best history and best discography. Certificates of Merit are presented to runners-up of exceptionally high quality, and a Lifetime Achievement Award and an Award for Distinguished Service to Historical Recordings are presented annually. Winners are chosen by the ARSC Awards Committee, which is composed of five elected judges representing specific fields of study (classical, jazz, and popular, plus two judges-at-large), the ARSC President, and the Book Review Editor of the ARSC Journal.

Subseries 2.5: Cataloging Committee, 2000-2012 (0 items)

Note: The Cataloging Committee was created in 2000 when the Discographic Access Committee was split into two committees: the Cataloging and Discography Committees. This series contains only records of the Cataloging Committee, records pre-2000 are located in the Discography Committee series (2.8). The Cataloging Committee (2000-Present) is concerned with all aspects of access to and organization and control of audiovisual materials. As part of the Discographic Access Committee, it revised the Rules for Archival Cataloging of Sound Recordings (1995). A member of the committee has served as ARSC's liaison on the Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access (CC:DA) of the American Library Association (ALA) since the inception of the 2nd edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2).

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.6: Copyright and Fair Use Committee, 1966-1991 (.50 linear feet)

Note: This committee was known as the Legal Committee from its inception until 1983. After 1983, the committee was called the Fair Practices Committee and in 2005 the name was changed to the Copyright and Fair Use Committee. This series contains records of this committee under all three names. The Copyright and Fair Use Committee (1966-Present) monitors information and developments related to sound recording copyright and fair use issues. Its findings are shared with the ARSC membership through the ARSC Journal, the ARSC Web site, and annual conference programs.

Subseries 2.7: Development Committee, 2000-2012 (0 items)

The Development Committee (2000-Present) seeks financial support to implement Board decisions setting the direction of the Association's growth, and plans initiatives that address needs identified by the Board. The committee recommends to the Board specific strategies designed to market ARSC, to create and enhance endowed funds, and to target granting agencies for specific ARSC initiatives, and coordinates ARSC fundraising activities (including any grants the organization obtains from outside agencies).

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.8: Discography Committee, 1968-1974 (2 folders)

Note: The Discography Committee was called the Discographic Access Committee prior to 2000 when the Cataloging Committee was separated from it, creating two separate committees. The Discography Committee (1976-Present) is concerned with all aspects of discographies and consults and comments on the current efforts towards discographic standards in the ARSC Journal.

Subseries 2.9: Education and Training Committee, 1998-2012 (0 items)

The ARSC Education and Training Committee (1998-Present) addresses the education and training needs of ARSC members and the larger recorded sound community by providing workshops on sound archiving and preservation, discographic dissemination, bibliographic standards, digitization of sound libraries, copyright, and other related topics. It also maintains a resource list on the ARSC website for education and training opportunities in audiovisual archiving and preservation.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.10: Finance Committee, 1966-1992 (12 folders)

The Finance Committee (1966-Present) works in close coordination with the ARSC Treasurer to prepare and track the Association's budget.

Subseries 2.11: Grants Committee, 1981-2012 (0 items)

The Grants Committee (1981-Present) administers grants given out by ARSC. These grants include: the ARSC Conference Travel Grant, intended to support members who have not previously attended an ARSC conference, but desire to participate more actively in the Association; the Research Grants Program, designed to encourage and support scholarship and publication by individuals in the field of sound recordings or audio preservation; and the Preservation of Classical Music Historical Recordings Grants Program, designed to encourage and support the preservation of historically significant sound recordings of Western Art Music by individuals and organizations.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.12: Local Arrangements Committee, 1984-203 (7 folders)

The Local Arrangements Committee (1976-Present) works in conjunction with the 2nd Vice President/Program Director to see that all necessary preparations are made for the annual ARSC meeting by booking adequate conference facilities, arranging appropriate accommodations, printing the conference program, and attending to the myriad details that are necessary to ensure a smooth and successful meeting.

Subseries 2.13: Nominating Committee, 1971-2003 (9 folders)

The Nominating Committee (1980-Present) provides a slate of candidates for ARSC elections. The elected positions of ARSC are the President (President-Elect/1st Vice-President), 2nd Vice-President/Program Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Members-at-Large of the Board of Directors, and the ARSC Awards for Excellence judges.

Subseries 2.14: Outreach Committee, 1998-2012 (0 items)

Note: Prior to 2002, the Outreach Committee was called the Membership and Outreach Committee, which was formed in 1998 by merging the Membership Committee and the Publicity Committee. This series contains records of the Outreach Committee created since 1998; records of the Membership and Publicity Committees are kept in their respective series. The Outreach Committee (1998-Present) creates, edits, and distributes official publicity for the organization's programs and events, and informs prospective members about the many benefits of joining and participating in ARSC. The committee's Organization Liaisons facilitate communication and cross-promotion between ARSC and other associations that share similar goals.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.15: Publications Committee, 1966-2004 (5.50 linear feet)

The Publications Committee (1966-Present) is responsible for all ARSC periodicals, including monographs and other special publications; the editors of all regular publications are ex-officio members.

Subseries 2.16: Technical Committee, 1978-2012 (0 items)

The Technical Committee (1978-Present) provides guidance on the most effective application of audio and related technologies to preserve and make accessible collections of sound recordings. Through research, publication, educational programs, and other initiatives, the Technical Committee serves audio professionals, institutions, and private individuals engaged in preserving the worlds recorded sound heritage.

The box inventory for this subseries is not currently available online. Please refer to the subseries description above for a broad description of the materials or contact the department for more information.

Subseries 2.17: Membership Committee, 1966-1992 (1.50 linear feet)

Note: In 1998, the Membership Committee was merged with Publicity Committee to form the Membership and Outreach Committee, which is now called the Outreach Committee. This subseries contains the records of the Membership Committee prior to this rearrangement.

Subseries 2.18: Program Committee, 1966-1977 (4 items)

The Program Committee worked with the Second Vice-President/Program Chair to help arrange the program of the ARSC Annual Meeting. The committee is not mentioned in the ARSC list of past committee chairs so it appears the committee was created and disbanded as needed by the organization.

Subseries 2.19: Publicity Committee, 1983-1998 (3 items)

Note: In 1998, the Publicity Committee was merged with Membership Committee to form the Membership and Outreach Committee, which is now called the Outreach Committee. This subseries contains the records of the Publicity Committee prior to this rearrangement.

Subseries 3.1: ARSC Journal, 1967-2012 (3.50 linear feet)

The ARSC Journal is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed publication that serves to document the history of sound recording and includes original articles on many aspects of research and preservation. Selected ARSC conference papers are regularly featured. The journal also includes reviews of books, CD-ROMs, and sound recording, and publishes a running bibliography of articles appearing in other specialist publications and of related interest. This subseries contains a complete run of the ARSC Journal from its first issue in 1967 until the present as new copies are added by ARSC.

Subseries 3.2: ARSC Bulletin, 1968-2004 (.50 linear feet)

The ARSC Bulletin is published annually and includes information and reports concerning the association's governance and activities. This subseries currently contains an incomplete run of ARSC Bulletin (see folder inventory for a list of Bulletins included in this collection.) There Bulletin was also published as part of the ARSC Journal from 1990-1983.

Subseries 3.3: ARSC Newsletter, 1977-2012 (1.00 linear feet)

The ARSC Newsletter is currently published three times a year, but has been published up to four times a year in the past.

Subseries 3.4: ARSC Membership Directory, 1982-2012 (.50 linear feet)

The ARSC Membership Directory contains information about the membership of ARSC and is currently updated every two years.

Subseries 3.5: ARSC Special Publications, 1991 (1 folder)

This series contains books and other publications by ARSC.

Subseries 6.1: Washington DC Chapter, 1983-1992 (6 folders)

This subseries contains documents and correspondence related to the activities of the Washington DC chapter of ARSC.

Subseries 6.2: California Chapter, 1987-1993 (4 folders)

This subseries contains documents and correspondence related to the activities of the California chapter of ARSC. This chapter appears to have been split into a Northern and Southern branch for a short time. Both chapters are currently (in 2012) inactive.

Subseries 6.3: Texas Chapter, 2000-2003 (5 folder, 11 VHS tapes)

This subseries contains documents and correspondence related to the activities of the Texas Chapter of ARSC.