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| Tape Library at Kirkwood Community College | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tape Library at Kirkwood Community College |
| Established | 1970s |
| Location | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Type | Academic library / media archive |
| Director | [Name withheld] |
| Website | [Institutional site] |
Tape Library at Kirkwood Community College is an audio-visual archive and media preservation facility located on the campus of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The collection supports curricular programs associated with Kirkwood Campus, regional cultural initiatives tied to Iowa heritage, and partnerships with institutions such as University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Linn County Historical Society, and professional organizations including the Society of American Archivists and the Library of Congress. The Tape Library serves students, faculty, researchers, and community members through cataloged holdings, digitization services, and exhibitions linked to regional and national narratives like the Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, and Midwestern folk music traditions.
The Tape Library traces origins to media instruction programs established during the expansion of Kirkwood Community College in the 1970s and 1980s, when institutions such as Iowa State Teachers College and Cornell College also developed audio collections. Early collections grew from donations and collaborations with entities like NPR, Public Broadcasting Service, and local stations including KUNI and KZIA. The archive expanded following partnerships with the Iowa Historical Society and recovery efforts after natural disasters that affected Cedar Rapids collections, paralleling national responses led by National Archives and Records Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Influences from practitioners connected to American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, and preservationists trained at Smithsonian Institution conservation programs shaped policy and acquisition.
The Tape Library occupies climate-controlled shelving and media vaults designed in consultation with specialists from Library of Congress and the National Recording Preservation Board. Physical infrastructure includes reel-to-reel bays, cassette cabinets, 1/4-inch and 2-inch videotape racks, and digitization suites equipped with standards from the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives and the Audio Engineering Society. Collections include oral histories from regional figures associated with John Deere, Quaker Oats Company, and local artisans, broadcast recordings from Iowa Public Radio, field recordings of Linda Ronstadt-era performances, and campus event tapes connected to speakers such as Barbara Bush and scholars affiliated with Harvard University, Yale University, and Stanford University who visited the campus. Holdings encompass formats tied to major archival initiatives championed by National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Tape Library provides reference support modeled on standards from Association of College and Research Libraries and interlibrary collaboration frameworks used by OCLC and WorldCat. Public services include on-site listening/viewing stations, digitization consultations influenced by protocols from British Library and Bibliothèque nationale de France, and remote access mediated through metadata schemas compatible with Dublin Core and Encoded Archival Description. Access policies reflect considerations similar to those at Smith College Libraries, Columbia University Libraries, and New York Public Library while adhering to legal frameworks involving United States Copyright Office and rights-holders such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.
Preservation programs follow guidelines promulgated by National Film Preservation Foundation, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and laboratory practices from Getty Conservation Institute. The Tape Library employs temperature and relative humidity control aligned with recommendations by American Institute for Conservation, conducts media assessments using spectrographic and aural analysis similar to protocols at Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation, and partners with regional conservation labs affiliated with University of Iowa Libraries and Iowa State University Libraries. Emergency preparedness plans mirror templates from Federal Emergency Management Agency and collaborative recovery networks like RePAH and regional disaster response consortia.
Educational programs integrate with curricula across Kirkwood Community College departments and collaborative offerings with University of Iowa and community partners including Linn-Mar Community School District and Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Workshops range from digitization training modeled after Smithsonian Folkways practices to oral-history pedagogy influenced by StoryCorps and archival internships comparable to those at Yale Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Research support facilitates theses and projects tied to subjects such as Midwest migration patterns, Prairie restoration, Agricultural history of Iowa, and studies referencing archives at National Archives campuses and collections associated with Smithsonian Institution units.
Notable holdings include oral-history tapes documenting local responses to the 2008 Iowa floods, broadcast interviews with regional politicians linked to Tom Vilsack and Chuck Grassley campaigns, recordings of performances by regional musicians in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and The Carter Family, and campus event recordings featuring speakers affiliated with National Science Foundation-funded research and artists recognized by the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellows Program. Special collections preserve vocational training tapes, audiovisual material from Iowa State Fair exhibitions, and donor archives from organizations such as Linn County Historical Society and regional chapters of American Legion.
Governance follows institutional oversight by the board and administration of Kirkwood Community College, with advisory support from professionals associated with Society of American Archivists, Association of Research Libraries, and regional consortia such as the Iowa Library Association. Funding streams combine college operating budgets, grants from Institute of Museum and Library Services, project awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and philanthropic support from foundations like Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Iowa Cultural Trust. Collaborative grant partnerships have involved agencies such as National Endowment for the Arts and private donors tied to local entities including Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.
Category:Archives in Iowa Category:Kirkwood Community College