In August 2024, the University of Baltimore Foundation, Inc. received a $42,554.93 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) as part of their Recordings at Risk program. This funding will support the project “Preserving and Providing Access to Baltimore Television News Station (WMAR), 1984-1993 (Phase Two).” Our proposal was among 26 projects selected out of 74 submissions.
The Special Collections & Archives department at the University of Baltimore is home to a comprehensive collection of WMAR-TV news recordings. These recordings include exclusive footage documenting critical historical events, cultural and racial matters, and political and social developments within the Baltimore area. WMAR-TV, Maryland’s pioneering television station, started broadcasting news in 1947.
In this second phase, we will digitize 962 U-matic and VHS tapes from the WMAR-TV archive, covering the years 1984 to 1993. These digital versions will be accessible online through the Internet Archive, benefiting both local communities and researchers. This phase builds on the initial project’s success, where 975 U-matic tapes from 1980 to 1985 were digitized, thanks to a previous CLIR grant in Cycle 8. Ultimately, our objective is to digitize the entire collection, ensuring the preservation of Baltimore’s historical news coverage.
Analog audiovisual recordings are susceptible to deterioration due to their delicate formats, obsolete playback equipment, and environmental hazards like humidity and temperature changes. By converting these tapes to digital formats, we will safeguard these invaluable historical records for future generations.
This grant program is funded by the Mellon Foundation.
This is the 11th group to receive the CLIR Recordings at Risk award. For further details about the award and the recipients, visit the CLIR announcement.
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating strategies that enhance research, teaching, and learning environments. They collaborate with libraries, cultural institutions, and higher education communities. To learn more, visit www.clir.org and follow CLIR on Facebook and Twitter.
