IU Libraries will begin preserving rare and original recordings of “The Orson Welles Show” that debuted Sept. 15, 1941, according to an IU press release.
Previously, Internet sites and books claimed only eight of the 19 broadcasts survived time, according to the release.
However, the IU-led preservation project could prove these rumors wrong. The IU Lilly Library has secured original lacquer discs with 14 broadcasts and other supposedly lost recordings.
The materials combined represent the most complete original source of audio for the Welles’ radio work during the 1930s and 40s and also the highest extant sound quality, according to the release.
The National Recording Preservation Foundation is assisting the preservation with a $25,000 grant to the library.
Mike Casey, IU’s director of technical operations for the Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative, said he was impressed how quickly the National Recording Preservation Foundation was allowing work to be done on the project. Work is projected to begin in late summer 2016.
“Most lacquer discs have an aluminum or glass base with a black lacquer coating,” he said in the release. “It contains grooves that carry the sound. This is not a safe way to store a treasure — lacquer discs are inherently chemically unstable and sometimes fail catastrophically.”
Carolyn Walters, the Ruth Lilly dean of university libraries, said preservation is a priority of IU. Her job as the dean and also as the co-chair of IU President Michael A. McRobbie’s Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative means she oversees safeguarding the rare media of the libraries, according to the press release.
“Considering the number of unusually rich holdings at Indiana University, MDPI is a remarkable and bold commitment, drawing well-deserved national attention,” Walters said in a press release. “We are proud to be a leader in preservation through MDPI, and to partner with the National Recording Preservation Foundation to save and share these Orson Welles treasures.”
Suzanne Grossman