Dr. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, has appointed seven new directors to the National Recording Preservation Foundation’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. These Board appointments establish a new slate of Directors for the Foundation, one of the most significant developments for the Foundation since it was established over a decade ago.
The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) is a registered 501(c)(3) organization created to promote and preserve recorded sound throughout the United States. The NRPF pursues this mission by raising monies for grants to archives, historical societies, museums, and other non-profit cultural heritage organizations, so that they may preserve and make publicly available America’s recorded sound heritage. The NRPF was established in a similar manner to its kindred preservation foundation, the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF). The NFPF, established in 1997, has raised over $29 million and made grants to over 320 organizations. The NRPF, which commenced operations a decade after the film foundation, hopes to replicate the NFPF’s successes.
The newly appointed NRPF directors bring a wealth of experience and expertise. The new directors are:
- Sam Brylawski, an audio archivist, has held many leadership roles in sound recording preservation, access, and archival management. He is a co-author of the National Recording Preservation Board’s study of the state of audio preservation in the U.S. and the Library of Congress National preservation plan, and co-editor of the ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation. Brylawski has previously served as chair of the National Recording Preservation Board.
- Jesse A. Johnston, a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan School of Information, has previously worked with audio preservation grants at the National Endowment for the Humanities and digital collections at the Library of Congress. Johnston will also serve as the Foundation’s Secretary.
- Garrett Levin, the immediate past president of the Digital Music Association (DiMA), brings insights in policy and intellectual property policy that will inform the NRPF’s work in digital preservation. Levin has previously served as a member of the National Recording Preservation Board.
- George Massenburg, celebrated producer and audio engineer, whose technical expertise and innovation in the recording industry are world-renowned. Massenburg served a previous term as an NRPF Director appointed in 2012, and he also serves on the National Recording Preservation Board.
- Davia Nelson, nationally recognized audio documentarian and radio producer with The Kitchen Sisters, known for her profound storytelling and dedication to capturing the voices of American culture. Nelson served a previous term as an NRPF director appointed in 2012.
- Eric J. Schwartz, a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP with expertise in copyright law and an unwavering commitment to the arts and preservation of film and recorded sound. Schwartz also serves on the National Recording Preservation Board, the National Film Preservation Board, and is Vice Chair of the National Film Preservation Foundation, which he helped to found in 1997.
- Judy Tsou, emeritus music librarian at the University of Washington, is also a past president of the Society for American Music. Tsou currently serves on the National Recording Preservation Board and has been a reviewer for audio preservation grants for the National Endowment for the Humanities and Council for Library and Information Resources. Her varied research includes rights of online-only sound recordings.
In her appointment statement, Dr. Hayden commended these new Directors for their “accomplishments in the performing arts, archival effort, and various aspects of the recording industry. I know these new directors will be of great help for the Foundation in achieving its ambitious goals. I thank them for taking on this leadership role in preserving the nation’s sound recording heritage.”
The National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 called for the establishment of the NRPF, along with the National Recording Preservation Board, which is advisory to the Librarian of Congress. As Dr. Hayden noted, “by establishing the National Recording Preservation Foundation, the U.S. Congress moved decisively to ensure that historical recordings in libraries, archives and other cultural institutions will be saved. This endeavor opens a pioneering direction in the field of cultural preservation funding and creates a unique opportunity to encourage all Americans to become engaged in the challenge to save our recorded sound history.”
As the Foundation looks ahead, these new board members will use their collective passion and expertise to ensure that NRPF fulfills its mandate to preserve and promote the preservation of recorded sound. The new directors look forward to their work to set priorities for the Foundation, revitalize the Foundation’s fundraising efforts, and expand its programs. The duties of the directors are to provide oversight of the NRPF’s resources and guide the Foundation’s work to celebrate, safeguard, and amplify the rich history of American recorded sound.
For more information, please visit the National Recording Preservation Foundation’s website at https://www.recordingpreservation.org/ or contact info@recordingpreservation.org.
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About the NRPF
The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) is an independent, charitable organization and registered 501(c)(3) entity. The NRPF works across the United States to foster awareness of the diverse perspectives and communities documented in audio, to support the preservation of historical and at-risk audio collections, and to coordinate resources for the digital preservation of audio recordings. The NRPF was mandated through federal charter by the U.S. Congress under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-474) and was thereafter duly incorporated in 2010.
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