University Library: The University
Library contains 41 individual units including the University Archives,
Rare Book and Manuscripts Library, and an
Undergraduate
Media Center. With a collection numbering over 10 million volumes and 21 million
non-book items, the University Library is the third largest academic research
library in North America. The audio-visual collections held by the Library
range from motion picture films from the beginning of the 20th Century, through
current multi-media dissertations and digital recordings. Unique recordings
in the Library are estimated to number approximately 4,000.
University Archives: The University of Illinois Archives includes over 20,000
cubic feet of office records, publications, and personal papers from the Urbana-Champaign
campus and beyond, including UCLA, Kansas University, the New York Yankees,
St. Louis Cardinals, and CBS newsfilms. Among those files and record series
are many different forms of audio-visual materials, including acetate discs,
reel-to-reel sound recordings, video recordings, and motion picture films.
An estimated 6,000 unique audio-visual recordings are currently part of the
University Archives' collections.
WILL AM/FM/TV: The history of WILL AM/FM/TV is long and rich: WILL AM signed
on only two years after the first commercial station in the country began broadcasting;
the FM station was the second FM station on the air in Illinois, its license
being the first issued to a university station; WILL TV has been broadcasting
for over fifty years. Through the valuable broadcasting of these radio and
television stations, the University of Illinois has played a pivotal role in
the development of public broadcasting in the United States. The archives of
WILL document all in-house productions of the radio and television station
since as early as 1974, consisting of over 17,500 physical items. Older recordings
reside in the University Archives.
Spurlock Museum: Formerly the World Heritage Museum, the Spurlock Museum is
administered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The museum encompasses
collections on world cultures, archeology, ethnography, and natural history.
The 436 audio-visual items held by the Spurlock Museum support the documentation
of their artifact collections, which include cultural and historical materials.
Department of Dance: Founded as a department in 1968, Dance is located within
the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The program was granted five-year accreditation
by the National Association of Schools of Dance in 1986, and ten-year accreditation
in 1992. The Department has been consistently ranked among the top dance departments
in the nation. Their 350 collected video recordings document the department’s
history, the shifts in artistic eras, and methods of choreographing and teaching
dance.
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: As one of America’s leading
university-based performing arts centers, Krannert Center provides an environment
for high-impact encounters between art, ideas, and society by inviting outstanding
professional artists to perform, teach, and enter the fabric of University
and community life; engaging in research through the creation of new work;
and providing an educational and performance home to the University of Illinois
Departments of Dance and Theatre, School of Music (opera, choral, and instrumental
programs and faculty recitals), and community-based ensembles. Recordings in
their collection include radio and TV interviews and commercials, workshops
and seminars and documentation of special events.
The Illinois Heritage Association perpetuates the history and heritage of
Illinois by providing professional services to educational institutions, local
government bodies and nonprofit agencies. It recognizes the contribution of
people and nature to the shaping of the cultural heritage of the state of Illinois.
In furthering such purposes, the Illinois Heritage Association researches and
documents the history of Illinois, makes available the services of qualified
personnel to assist with the needs of agencies entrusted with the perpetuation
of Illinois history, provides educational services and benefits to the public,
and builds coalitions with other groups that have similar objectives.
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