Museum Project Request for Information

The AES Historical Committee is seeking to improve its ability to provide information to people with an interest in audio history, whether professional, academic or personal.

The results of our work so far can be be found at http://www.aes.org/aeshc/aeshc.links_and_museum_coordination.html

Our effort has several goals:

1. “To improve our ability to provide information about collections and other resources.”

We’re trying to track down any collection related to audio history worldwide.  This would include public and private "bricks and mortar" museums and collections -- of either equipment or documents -- as well as web sites and any published resources.

We need to know where the collections are, and who has what equipment and what documents (manuals, etc) in their audio engineering and recording collections.

2. “To cooperate with and coordinate among the various collections, libraries, museums and organizations concerned with the history of audio engineering and recording.”

Who is looking to acquire what equipment and documents?  Who has extras they'd like to trade or give away?

3. “To encourage and assist research into the history of audio practice and technology.”

By pulling together information on the available resources, we’d like to encourage research into the on the history of audio. The focus of this effort is the AES Historical Committee (HC) Reflector and website.  Are you working on a historical project that you'd like to advertise thru the HC reflector or website, to attract information or material? Do you have a finished historical project that you'd like to publish on the HC website?

4. “To facilitate the preservation of significant examples of audio engineering and recording technology, as well as important documentation.”

We have more people looking for a good home for their old audio equipment and documentation than we have museums willing to take it.  We know of many
"virtual" museums, and that's good. Our particular focus at this time, though, is on preservation of actual examples of technology that might otherwise be lost. To that end, we would be interested in hearing from organizations, institutions or individuals able to accept equipment and documents for preservation, with a preference for those willing to make these publicly available on at least a limited basis.  Our current list of resources is viewable at http://www.aes.org/aeshc/link.museums.html.

This is a transitional time in audio – please help us make sure that valuable pieces of history don’t get thrown away!

Please forward all suggestions, additions and comments to aeshc@mylescochran.com

Thanks,

AES Historical Committee
Myles Cochran Davis, Leader
Museum Coordination Project
2004-09,  2006-09-25