Date:         Fri, 5 Jan 2007 21:21:37 -0600
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         phillip holmes <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Libraries disposing of records
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You know, I'm sure there were hundreds of sides that were the equivalent 
of Britney Speers' "oops i did it again".  Pop music doesn't necessarily 
need to be preserved if it takes resources away from something truly 
unique (interviews, broadcasts, lectures, etc.) or productive.   I'm 
sure many of us got into this because of a love for music, but you know 
there's lots of crap out there that doesn't merit being saved.  Maybe 
one of you can look me in the face and tell me that we MUST preserve the 
outputs of The Backstreet Boys and Vanilla Ice.  I say fine, YOU pay for 
it.  But if their entire catalog was "sent to the cornfields" by Billy 
Mumy, I wouldn't miss a minute of sleep.
Phillip

Steve Ramm wrote:
> I specifically said "I don't want to start a discussion" but I see I  did.
>  
> My only take on this is that when the Temple University library needed to  
> dispose of their 78 rpm records (to build a new Student Union) they called 5  
> local knowledgeable person here (I was one but less knowledgeable than the  
> others). They said "take what you want". I know that when it got to me (5th) I  
> could only find about 75 records I wanted for FREE! The rest were duplicate runs 
>  of Carusos and other common Red Seals and lots of 10in and 12 in classical 
> 78  sets. The pop stuff was mostly pop vocals and bands on red label Columbias. 
> Many  of these were "donated" to the Temple library. They didn't even have a 
> 78  player. My guess is about 10,000 remaining records were discarded.
>  
> I took a few interesting records which will be preserved but the cost of  the 
> University maintaining the collection was too much.
>  
> By same token the Frankllin Institute here in Philly needed to build an  Imax 
> Theater and - since overy few were using their library they auctioned off  
> the contents. I was lucky to get their run of Talking Machine and Phonograph  
> Weekly from 1918-1942 (they broke up in lots). But no one was asking to use them 
>  so they may be better off this way. Think of all the kids learning about 
> space,  etc at the Imax theater. Certainly more than used the library.
>  
> It seems to me that general libraries might cull out things which are  
> duplicated. If they have the 12 CD set of Victor Carusos they can discard the  78s 
> -(I know the sound transfers may be controversial), and they can sell them  at 
> book sale to raise money for others. Believe me the Harry Potter books will  
> be sold in a few years also. Just go to Blockbuster and see the extra copies of 
>  previously-rented DVDs being sold for $5.00 two months after their 
> popularity  has peaked.
>  
> Well, I guess I rambled more than I wanted.
>  
> Anyway... I'm not sure those on the list have an answer to the problem.  
> We're too close to the subject to understand why folks throw things out.
>  
> And we haven't discussed the need for libraries to keep encyclopedias when  
> everything is on the Internet! And the World Book fits on ONE CD-ROM (which  
> seems to come with EVERY PC you buy.
>  
> Steve Ramm
>
>
>
>