Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§80s–1 Establishment of Joint Project at Library of Congress and National Museum of African American History and Culture to Collect Video and Audio Recordings of Histories of Participants in American Civil Rights Movement

Title 20 › CHAPTER 3 — SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES › SUBCHAPTER XV — CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY PROJECT › § 80s–1

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a joint oral history project run by the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian, within available funds. They must survey existing audio and video collections to avoid duplication, gather new video and audio interviews of people who took part in the Civil Rights movement, and collect related photos, letters, diaries, and other materials. They must build, catalog, and index the collection and make it available to the public through the Library of Congress, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and other ways they choose. The Secretary will use the Museum Director to carry out the work. The two agencies may work with other groups, hire temporary experts, take volunteers and pay travel costs, and make advance payments as needed. Work must begin as soon as practicable after May 12, 2009, and they should try first to record the oldest participants. Defined term: Civil Rights movement — the effort to win racial equality for African Americans, focused on 1954 through 1968, challenging segregation and achieving equal-rights laws.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §80s–1

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment of project

(1)In general

Within the limits of available funds, the Librarian of Congress (hereafter referred to as the “Librarian”) and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (hereafter referred to as the “Secretary)”, acting jointly, shall establish an oral history project—

(A)to survey, during the initial phase of the project, collections of audio and video recordings of the reminiscences of participants in the Civil Rights movement that are housed in archives, libraries, museums, and other educational institutions, as well as ongoing documentary work, in order to augment and complement these endeavors and avoid duplication of effort;

(B)to solicit, reproduce, and collect—

(i)video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement, and

(ii)visual and written materials (such as letters, diaries, photographs, and ephemera) relevant to the personal histories of individuals;

(C)to create a collection of the recordings and other materials obtained, and to catalog and index the collection in a manner the Librarian and the Secretary consider appropriate; and

(D)to make the collection available for public use through the Library of Congress and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well as through such other methods as the Librarian and the Secretary consider appropriate.

(2)Role of Director of museum

The Secretary shall carry out the Secretary’s duties under this subchapter through the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

(b)Use of and consultation with other entities

The Librarian and the Secretary may carry out the activities described in subsection (a)(1) through agreements and partnerships entered into with other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with interested persons (within the limits of available resources) and develop appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting, acquiring, and making available recordings under the project under this subchapter.

(c)Services of experts and consultants; acceptance of volunteer services; advance payments

In carrying out activities described in subsection (a)(1), the Librarian and the Secretary may—

(1)procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109 of title 5;

(2)accept and utilize the services of volunteers and other uncompensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses, including per diem, as authorized under section 5703 of title 5; and

(3)make advances of money and payments in advance in accordance with section 3324 of title 31.

(d)Timing

As soon as practicable after May 12, 2009, the Librarian and the Secretary shall begin collecting video and audio recordings and other materials under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such recordings from the oldest individuals involved.

(e)Definition

In this subchapter, the term “Civil Rights movement” means the movement to secure racial equality in the United States for African Americans that, focusing on the period 1954 through 1968, challenged the practice of racial segregation in the Nation and achieved equal rights legislation for all American citizens.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 80s–1

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110