The Association for Recorded Sound Collections
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Past ARSC Conferences
ARSC's Annual Conference and Workshop is one of the most important services the organization provides.
ARSC hosts its annual conference in a different location each year, typically in May but at time in the fall, and strives to meet in different regions as well, but the actual location is ultimately determined by the individuals, institutions or chapters offering to host a conference.
The conference begins on a Wednesday evening with registration and an informal reception. Presentations begin Thursday morning and extend though Saturday afternoon. During this time, field trips, recitals, dinners, committee meetings, demonstrations, workshops, record swaps and tours may occur. The conference closes with a business meeting late Saturday afternoon followed by the ARSC Awards Banquet on Saturday night.
Presentations vary widely: recorded sound history, recording artists, archival concerns, copyright issues, performance practices, and phonograph and record collecting are all likely topic areas. Additionally, panel discussions are often assembled to address issues of interest to collectors and/or archives. Past roundtables have covered topics such as audio restoration, cylinder care and preservation, cleaning methods, and fair use issues.
Hosting a conference is a great responsibility, and a good deal of work. Because of this, most meetings are sponsored by institutional members; however, this is certainly not a requirement. Any dedicated group of ARSC members may host a conference, and interested individuals are invited to contact the Executive Director for more information.
2023 Pittsburgh, PA | Program | Recordings
2022 Virtual Conference | Program | Recordings
2021 Virtual Conference | Program | Recordings
2020 Virtual Conference | Program | Recordings
2019 Portland, OR | Program | Recordings
2018 Baltimore, MD | Program | Recordings
2017 San Antonio, TX | Program | Recordings
2016 Bloomington, IN (University of Indiana) | Program | Recordings
2015 Pittsburgh, PA (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) | Program | Recordings
2014 Chapel Hill, NC (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) | Program | Recordings
2013 Kansas City, MO (University of Missouri) | Program | Recordings
2012 Rochester, NY (Eastman School of Music) | Program | Recordings
2011 Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive) | Program | Recordings
2010 New Orleans, LA (Tulane University) | Program | Recordings
2009 Washington, DC (Library of Congress) | Program | Recordings
2008 Palo Alto, CA (Stanford University) | Program | Recordings
2007 Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Ward Irish Music Archives) | Program | Recordings
2006 Seattle, Washington (University of Washington School of Music) | Program | Recordings
2005 Austin, Texas (University of Texas at Austin) | Program | Recordings
2004 Cleveland, Ohio (with Society of American Music) | Program | Recordings
2003 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania) | Program | Recordings
2002 Santa Barbara, California (University of California, Santa Barbara) | Program | Recordings
2001 London, UK (The British Library - with IASA) | Program | Recordings
2000 Chapel Hill, NC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) | Program | Recordings
1999 Madison, WI (University of Wisconsin - Madison) | Program | Recordings
1998 Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University) | Program | Recordings
1997 Nashville, TN (Country Music Foundation) | Program | Recordings
1996 Kansas City, MO (University of Missouri - Kansas City) | Program | Recordings
1995 Washington, DC (Library of Congress - with IASA & FIAT) | Program | Recordings
1994 New York, NY (NYPL Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound) | Program | Recordings
1993 Chicago, IL (Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Chicago Public Library - joint with MAC) | Program | Recordings
1992 Rochester, NY (Eastman School of Music) | Program | Recordings
1991 Atlanta, GA (Georgia State University) | Program | Recordings
1990 Ottawa, ON (Canadian Museum of Civilization - with IASA & CAML) | Program | Recordings
1989 Kansas City, MO (University of Missouri - Kansas City) | Program | Recordings
1988 Toronto, ON (University of Toronto - with CAML) | Program | Recordings
1987 Washington, DC (George Washington University / NMAH - with IASA) | Program | Recordings
1986 New York, NY (NYPL Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound) | Program | Recordings
1985 San Francisco, CA (San Francisco State University & Stanford University) | Program | Recordings
1984 Bowling Green, OH (Bowling Green State University) | Program | Recordings
1983 Nashville, TN (Country Music Foundation) | Program | Recordings
1982 Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University) | Program | Recordings
1981 Chapel Hill, NC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) | Program | Recordings
1980 Ottawa, ON (National Library and Public Archives of Canada) | Program | Recordings
1979 Chicago, IL | Program | Recordings
1978 Washington, DC (Library of Congress - with IAML & IASA) | Program | Recordings
1977 West Orange, NJ (Edison National Historic Site) | Program | Recordings
1976 Palo Alto, CA (Stanford University) | Program | Recordings
1975 Montreal, PQ (McGill University - with IAML, IASA & MLA) | Program | Recordings
1974 Philadelphia, PA | Program | Recordings
1973 Bloomington, IN (Indiana University at Bloomington - with MLA) | Program | Recordings
1972 Ypsilanti, MI (Eastern Michigan University)
1971 New York, NY (NYPL Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound)
1970 Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt University)
1969 New York, NY (NYPL Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound)
1968 Los Angeles, CA (University of California at Los Angeles)
1967 Bloomington, IN (Indiana University at Bloomington - "1st Annual" ARSC conference)
1966 Washington, DC (Library of Congress - constitutional meeting)
1966 Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University - founding meeting)
1965 Dearborn, MI (Henry Ford Museum / MLA - exploratory meeting)