16 Jan Grant Spotlight: Historic Media Digitization
Lindsborg, a city rich in history, is home to historical landmarks like the 1904 Worlds Fair Swedish Pavilion and figures such as artist Birger Sandzén. The community has long worked to preserve its rich heritage, but now that media formats are rapidly changing, protecting these historical records is becoming more challenging. For older media especially, the clock is ticking.
Old media, particularly film, VHS tapes, and audio recordings, are especially vulnerable to degradation. Acetate film, once widely used from the 1950s to the 1970s, has a lifespan of about 70 years before it risks decomposing, according to TheConversation.com. VHS tapes fare worse, with Kodak estimating degradation after just 10 to 25 years.
So, how can we save these historical records from being lost to time?
Lenora Lynam, Mission Director of the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Mueseum, looked to media digitization. This process converts outdated formats into those compatible with modern technology, allowing for long-term preservation
The Smoky Valley Historical Association received a Humanities Kansas grant that covered the digitization historical films from past Svensk Hyllningsfest. Lynam’s vision however, was to preserve all the films and audio recordings held by the association, they just needed the funding.
In December, the Smoky Valley Historical Association received a $7,000 grant from the David J. Nutt Fund, administered by the McPherson County Community Foundation, enabling them to continue their efforts.
The association was determined to work locally and partnered with Mid America Productions, a Salina-based company
“It’s important because there are fewer and fewer places near here that can do it,” Lynam said. “We don’t feel comfortable sending these one-of-a-kind pieces through the mail.”
This new funding will help digitize the oral histories of Elston Flohr and Chris Abercrombie, who recorded over 100 interviews, along with other various recordings housed by the Association. Flohr’s tapes are especially challenging, as some were recorded on Betamax, a format that quickly became obsolete after the wide adoption of VHS.
Some of these tapes feature nationally significant footage, including an interview with the Danielson family, missionaries from Lindsborg during World War II, and coverage of Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 1976 visit to Lindsborg.
“There are people who still remember some of the people and events on these tapes,” Lynam said. “I was able to show a woman an interview her mother had done, and she’d never seen it before.
The project has sparked interest beyond the local community. Lynam shared that a man from Florida, with family ties to Lindsborg, is using digitized historical photographs uploaded to Flickr to organize images taken by local photographer Gröndal.
When Lynam was asked about what makes this project so important, she stressed that there is a lot of historical data left on these films and that they tell the story of Lindsborg as it’s happening.
“These videos are too important to keep them tucked away,” Lynam said.
While the Smoky Valley Historical Association doesn’t yet have a timeline for completion, they are currently storing files on a local server and plan to release the footage gradually on their YouTube channel.