Sound Files

In this episode, listen back with Sound Files to the oldest known whale recordings from 1949! Host Jesse Johnston tells the story with archival audio and interviews with archivist Ashley Jester and audio preservation engineer Paul Adams.

This episode features archival recordings from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), including the historic 1949 Gray Audograph disc collection. Additional humpback whale sounds courtesy of Ocean Alliance; dolphin sounds provided by Dr. Laela Sayigh and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

Host and Creator: Jesse Johnston (University of Michigan School of Information)
Producer/Editor: Teresa Carey
Writer: Jacob Pinter
Sound Engineering: Steve Lack
Original Music: Evan Haywood

Produced by Morse Alpha Studios with support from the National Recording Preservation Foundation and the University of Michigan School of Information.

Learn more about sound preservation at https://www.recordingpreservation.org.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

How are languages on the brink of extinction preserved? This episode looks at the Cuttlefish Project, an initiative dedicated to revitalizing the Unangam Tunuu language through a treasure trove of archival recordings. You'll hear how these once-overlooked tapes were brought back to life, thanks to the efforts of educator George Pletnikoff Junior and curator Leslie McCartney, who worked tirelessly to digitize them and make them accessible to a global audience.

We'll also take a look at the past, and the rich cultural significance these recordings hold for the Unangax̂ community and the challenges they face in keeping their language alive. From the heartfelt stories behind the tapes to the complex historical backdrop that led to the decline of fluent speakers, this episode emphasizes the importance of audio archives in cultural identity. However, the path to revitalization is not without its hurdles. With fewer than 200 fluent speakers remaining today, George and his community are grappling with the unique challenges of engaging new generations while honoring their linguistic roots.

The digitized tapes from the Cuttlefish Project can be found and streamed in full from the University of Alaska. To find them, search for "cuttlefish project" in the UA's online catalog, or link directly at https://archives.library.uaf.edu/uncategorized/SO_f708948d-f76b-4dff-81d7-e2590cb7c841/. The excerpts heard in this episode can be located at: https://archives.library.uaf.edu/uncategorized/IO_09335df2-b07b-4d89-bd0e-78a0d6d03ff9/, https://archives.library.uaf.edu/uncategorized/IO_45d2c5d5-69f8-4376-8b97-52e4a4b4bab3/, and https://archives.library.uaf.edu/uncategorized/IO_66ef0a8e-ca10-40f2-8599-c56db445f06d/.

Credits:
Jesse Johnston, creator of Sound Files and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, hosts the podcast. Teresa Carey is the senior producer, editor, and creative lead for Morse Alpha Studios, which produced this podcast. Writing is by Jacob Pinter, and sound engineering by Steve Lack. Original music by Evan Haywood.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Step into Eastern Kentucky’s Carcassonne Community Center, home to the state’s longest-running square dance, and explore Appalachia’s rich musical and cultural heritage. Join Leo Shannon and the Appalachian Film Workshop as they preserve rare recordings and stories that keep this vibrant tradition alive amid challenges like flooding and funding cuts.

This episode highlights the resilience of Appalachian culture through powerful stories and music—from coal miners’ ballads to local storytellers—and the urgent work to save fragile archives. It’s a tribute to how music and storytelling connect generations and sustain a community’s identity through times of change.

Credits:
Jesse Johnston, creator of Sound Files and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, hosts the podcast. Teresa Carey is the senior producer, editor, and creative lead for Morse Alpha Studios, which produced this podcast. Writing is by Ashley Hamer Pritchard, editing by Jacob Pinter, and sound engineering by Steve Lack. Original music by Evan Haywood.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Ready to step back in time? This episode explores The Great 78 Project, an initiative of the Internet Archive and George Blood Audio. They are preserving old records as digital treasures—bringing jazz, blues, and forgotten voices back to life. Along the way, you'll hear how they perfect the process with fancy turntables and multiple needles, and why preserving these fragile sounds matters for history, music, and culture buffs everywhere.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. High-stakes legal challenges are shaping the future of access to this treasure trove of sound. Major publishers and preservationists don't necessarily agree on the best ways to provide access to the preserved recordings. The episode wraps up with the latest update in this battle: after a long fight, the matter was settled out of court. Still, the work to preserve and share history continues, and we continue to face big questions about access, control, and the sustainability of cultural memory.

Credits:
Jesse Johnston, creator of Sound Files and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, hosts the podcast. Teresa Carey is the senior producer, editor, and creative lead for Morse Alpha Studios, which produced this podcast. Writing is by Ashley Hamer Pritchard, editing by Jacob Pinter, field production by Erin McGregor, and sound engineering by Steve Lack. Original music by Evan Haywood.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Explore Citizen DJ yourself at www.citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov and dive deeper into the vast Library of Congress audio collection at www.loc.gov/audio/.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. Learn more or make a donation at www.recordingpreservation.org.

Jesse Johnston, creator of Sound Files and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, hosts the podcast. Teresa Carey is the senior producer, editor, and creative lead for Morse Alpha Studios, which produced this podcast. Writing is by Jacob Pinter, field production by Steve Lack, and sound engineering by Ben Carey. Original music by Evan Haywood.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Episode Title: Native American Recordings, Community Connections, and the Federal Cylinder Project ft Judith Gray

Hosts:

• Jesse Johnston
• Evan Haywood

Guest:

• Judith Gray, Reference Librarian and Archivist at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Overview:
In this episode, hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood discuss the Federal Cylinder Project at the American Folklife Center, focusing on its goal to reconnect Native American communities with archival audio recordings, largely recorded onto wax cylinders by various settler ethnographers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century throughout North America. Jesse interviews Judith Gray, coordinator of reference services at the American Folklife Center, about the project's history, its mission, and the ethical considerations in making these culturally significant sound recordings accessible to source communities.

Topics Discussed:

• The origins and goals of the Federal Cylinder Project.
• The American Folklife Center’s efforts in reconnecting sound recordings to Native American communities.
• Ethical considerations and methodologies for preserving and returning audio archives.
• Personal anecdotes and reflections from Judith's career at the Library of Congress.
• Specific case studies, including Frances Densmore’s Native American recordings, and the recordings of Passamaquoddy songs made in 1890 in Calais, Maine.

Highlights:

• Judith Gray’s insights into early challenges and successes in cataloging and making recordings accessible.
• Discussion on the collaboration between federal institutions and tribal communities.
• The role of Frances Densmore’s ethnographic work and recording in audio preservation.
• Community interactions with historic recordings and how they influence contemporary cultural projects.
• Excerpted archival recordings include (all digitized from original recordings preserved at the Library of Congress):
  • “Manabus Tells the Ducks to Shut Their Eyes” by Louis Pigeon of the Menominee tribe, recorded in 1925.
  • “Hethu’shka Song (‘Get Up and Dance’)” by the Host Drum at the Omaha powwow, recorded in 1983.
  • Noel Josephs and Passamaquoddy Tribe, recorded by Jesse Walter Fewkes, in Calais, Maine, 1890, performing "Snake Song."

Relevant Links:

• Federal Cylinder Project information: Library of Congress Federal Cylinder Project
• Passamaquoddy recording: “Passamaquoddy description of the Snake song and dance : Snake song”
• Archival recording in Macy, Nebraska: “Hethu’shka Song (‘Get Up and Dance’)”
• American Folklife Center information: American Folklife Center

Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the Sound Files podcast on your favorite platform.
• Rate and review the podcast to support the show.
• Follow the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) on social media platforms.
• Visit NRPF’s website to learn more about their programs and how to support them.

Thank you for listening!
Catch all future episodes by subscribing and don't forget to leave your feedback and reviews. Follow us for updates and news on the preservation of recorded sounds.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Show hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood talk with Leslie McCartney about the work of preserving oral histories at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During the conversation, Leslie shared about the history of the tapes for the "Cuttlefish Project," undertaken in the 1970s by a class of high school students in Unalaska and their teacher Ray Hudson. We also discuss the significance of some of these recordings as documents of various Native Alaskan languages, the history of Native and Russian settlement in the remote Aleutian Islands, and the significance of recorded sound as a unique carrier of historical information. 

Sound clips were digitized with support from the National Recording Preservation Foundation and are used courtesy of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Show hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood talk with Jocelyn Robinson about the preservation of archives from HBCU radio stations. Robinson is the director of radio preservation and archives at WYSO Public Radio and working on a project to preserve radio broadcast archives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. During the conversation, she shared about the history of these radio stations and their importance to campus life, and her ongoing work to gather resources to survey and preserve the archives of about 30 stations throughout the southeast. We also talked about the content and sound of the stations, which led us into thinking about why audio archives are so unique and important, as well as some tips on how to start out on an audio archiving project.

Sound clips from the WRVS archives are used courtesy of the Elizabeth City State University (North Carolina), Archives and Special Collections, G.R. Little Library.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

This episode introduces Sound Files, a podcast where we talk to audio archivists and explore historic recorded audio collections! From the joys of discovering forgotten sounds, to replaying memorable examples, to the processes of inventorying and managing a collection, we will share stories of audio preservation.

Unique, endangered audio collections are at the core of the National Recording Preservation Foundation’s work. The NRPF is a non-profit, charitable organization that offers grants that help to preserve historical audio, working in alignment with the Library of Congress. This podcast is a way for us to celebrate the projects that we have supported over the years.

Sound Files presents a series of long-form conversations and stories about the work of archiving historical audio. We’re focused on giving our listeners a deep insight into archival methodologies, why these preservation projects are so important, and the people who have made it their mission to preserve  audio resources for future generations. 

We will talk with expert archivists, and ask them to share their perspectives on the important work they do. What are some of the most interesting and unique sounds they’ve encountered in the collections they work with? How do they evaluate which recordings are worthy of preservation? And what motivates them to preserve important pieces of recorded sound history?

We introduce the podcast hosts, Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood.

We’re excited to bring you the Sound Files podcast! This podcast has been produced with support from the University of Michigan School of Information, the Black Ram Treehouse, the NRPF, and the generous support of our donors. We look forward to taking you on this journey.

Sound Files is presented by the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving recorded sound history with generous support from the University of Michigan School of Information and other NRPF supporters. 

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.