GENESEO, N.Y., Mar. 14, 2023 – The Livingston County Historian’s Office was recently awarded a Collection and Access Grant through the Rochester Regional Library Council that will be used to help with its archival and digitalization-related projects.
Today, the County Historian's Office has in its collection about 50 audio-visual items dating from the 1950s-1990s. The items consist of reel-to-reel audio tapes, reel-to-reel films, cassette tapes, VHS tapes and large-format aerial photographs. These items contain oral histories collected by former County Historian Marie Preston in the 1950s, audio and/or video of local events and local historical presentations including several performances by Seneca groups.
“The County Historian’s Office is grateful to the RRLC and the Livingston County Board of Supervisors for supporting this project, which relates to communities across Livingston County,” said County Historian Holly Watson. “We look forward to hearing local musicians and voices from our past and are excited to share the recordings with their descendants today.”
Thanks in large part to the funding provided through the grant, the Historian’s Office will be able to bring to life several items that haven’t been viewed in decades as a result of their physical format. As part of its on-going restoration and digitization project, the Office will partner with a professional vendor to assess, clean and digitize the items so ensure their preservation for current and future generations to study and enjoy.
Once the digitization is complete, the files will be catalogued and uploaded into New York Heritage, a free digital repository that is accessible to anyone. The project also marks the launch of a Livingston County-specific profile on New York Heritage that the Historian’s Office hopes will become a resource to further share additional primary sources from its extensive collections.
Learn more about this and other on-going historical projects in Livingston County by visiting the County Historian’s official website.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events and more by following Livingston County on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is comprised of more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.