MANHATTAN — More than 150 years of Kansas State University student yearbooks and newspapers are already available for free through the website Internet Archive, archive.org. Now, audiophiles will be able to enjoy two collections of K-State Libraries’ 78 rpm discs there, too — along with hundreds of thousands from other institutions.

K-State Libraries are transferring a significant collection of sound recordings to Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library, for The Great 78 Project, a substantial effort to digitize sound recordings produced on 78 rpm discs.

“Through this collaboration, K-State will be able to preserve its historic sound recording collections and make them available not only to our users but also to users around the world,” said Lori Goetsch, dean of K-State Libraries.

Internet Archive offers free universal access to books, movies and music, as well as 310 billion archived web pages. The Great 78 Project aims to bring to light the decisions by music collectors over the decades and establish a digital reference collection of underrepresented artists and genres.

Faculty members from K-State Libraries’Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse Department of Special Collections identified two notable collections for inclusion in the project. The first was amassed by Charles Stratton, a musicologist, pianist and Kansas State University faculty member, whose collection was donated by his estate in 1968. The second was compiled by Roger C. Smith, a former head of the university’s entomology department, who donated his collection in 1971.

The collections contain a range of American and European music, including classical and popular recordings. Most of the original 78 pressings were created between World War I and II and represent both chamber and orchestral music, as well as jazz, blues, cowboy songs and sea shanties.

The Great 78 Project is currently funded to digitize 250,000 discs that will be available via the Internet Archive. George Blood Audio of Philadelphia will complete the digitization. The operation delivers 5,000-6,000 sides per month and hopes to increase its output in the near future.

“We are pleased to join the nearly 400 donors and partners who are contributing to this international endeavor,” said Keli Rylance, head of the Morse Department of Special Collections.

For more information, contact the Morse Department of Special Collections at 785-532-7456. To see the digitization process, visit archive.org/details/mass78rpmdiscdigitization

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USD 475 leaders are not making any comment but changes could be on the way in two administrator positions within the schools in the district. The information has begun to filter out to the community from other sources.

District officials are not making any statement because the USD 475 Board of Education has not taken final action.

The next Board meeting is set for next Monday.

Junction City – Geary County United Way Executive Director Nicole Mahder confirmed Monday the VITA program being offered through the local United Way has begun.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides free tax preparation services for individuals and / or households with income of less than $54,000.  Volunteer tax assessors prepare Federal Income Tax Returns and Kansas State Returns.

To make an appointment call the United Way office at 785-238-2117. The appointments are conducted at that office Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. This is a program where the United Way is working in conjunction with the IRS. It ends April 16th.

 

Geary County Commissioners toured the county detention center and sheriff’s office on Monday.

One improvement to an internal facility will apparently need to occur, said Commission Chair Charles Stimatze. “We’ve got one elevator, the old elevator on the older side ( of the building ) is the major one.”

The tour was part of a series of tours through county buildings that the commissioners are undertaking. Stimatze stated they’re brainstorming together and visiting with department heads to see what can be done to improve or maintain the buildings in the future.

JUNCTION CITY, KAN. – Geary County Schools USD 475 announced today that several students from Fort Riley Elementary School had been selected for the 2018 KMEA All-State Elementary Choir. Over 800 elementary school students in third, fourth, and fifth grades submitted auditions for the choir which only selects 160 students in total. Fort Riley Elementary School has had students included in this choir for the past three years.

The students selected from Fort Riley Elementary School are Giovanni Brooks (grade 4), Ayana Kelley (grade 3), and Xavier Winter (grade 5).

The choir will perform on Thursday, February 22, 2018, in the Concert Hall at Century II Convention Center in Wichita, KS at 6:00 PM. The choir will rehearse all-day on February 22, 2018, in Wichita with Sophia Papoulis, an internationally renowned Children’s Choir conductor. Children will spend many hours prior to the concert rehearsing after-school with Mr. Gooden, their music teacher, as well as at home.

 

USD 475 Communications Department

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