Library Of Congress To Digitize Terkel Tapes

By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on May 14, 2010 9:20PM

Studs Terkel is one step closer to being preserved online. Earlier this week, the Chicago History Museum reached a deal with the Library of Congress to digitize 50+ years (or around 6,000 hours) of interviews Studs did with various people including Martin Luther King, Jr., Bob Dylan, and Louis Armstrong. Studs, who passed away in 2008, had donated the tapes to the museum back in 1997. Said Gene DeAnna, who's heading up the project, “This project will require significant staff time and expertise, specialized audio equipment and a computer infrastructure capable of safely storing, delivering and sustaining the digital content: resources that are typically beyond the reach of small archives and museums. Some of these tapes are over 40 years old and are fragile.” The Chicago History Museum will retain ownership and copyright of the interviews; the project should take two years to complete.