§1724 Responsibilities of Board

Summary

The Board must review nominations of sound recordings for the National Recording Registry and advise the Librarian about which recordings to include and how to preserve recordings that are culturally, historically, or artistically important. The Board will consider nominations from the public, from sound recording archives and industry groups (like guilds and societies), and from other creative artists. The Board must also do a study and write a report. The report must cover the current state of archiving, preservation, and restoration. Using research from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center at Culpeper, Virginia, it must recommend methods and standards for moving from analog “open reel” preservation to digital preservation and for access rules for researchers and educators. It must set clear standards for copying old recordings, including equipment and equalization guidance. The report must review current laws and limits on using sound recording archives and suggest changes so the Library of Congress and other nonprofit preservation groups can share collections digitally. It must also address copyright and other laws that affect preserving sound recordings.