Collection Guide
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Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape Collection
AR.2022.003
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Contributing Institution:
Gledhill Library
Title: Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape Collection
Identifier/Call Number: AR.2022.003
Physical Description:
184 Electronic files
extracted from 98 audiotape reels
Physical Description:
98 Reels
of one-quarter inch reel-to-reel magnetic oxide tapes
Date (inclusive): 1952-1978
Abstract: The Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tapes Collection contains the earliest recordings of people and events of mid-20th century
Santa Barbara historic preservation efforts. From the 1950s into the 1970s, there was a concerted effort at the local, county,
and state levels to raise awareness of Santa Barbara's storied past. During this period the Historical Society, as the Museum
was then known, began a publications program, established a decade-long presence at the Santa Barbara Mission, and built a
permanent museum in the heart of downtown. Through the efforts of its leaders, the historic El Pueblo Viejo district was established
along with a spin-off organization that would reconstruct the Presidio, Santa Barbara's birthplace. This collection of reel-to-reel
tapes documents many of the key events of this golden era of historic preservation in Santa Barbara.
Condition Description: The magnetic oxide audio tapes, ranging in age from 45 to 70 years old, are in usable condition for digitization as of 2023.
Although the quality of the recordings themselves are uneven, their content was made accessible by reformating to digital
and posting to Internet Archive and California Revealed.
Language of Material:
English
.
The Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape Collection contain recordings of oral histories, radio programs, meetings, lectures,
telephone conversations, ceremonies, and music perfomances of local old timers and influential people. These 184 electronic
files, extracted from 98 one quarter-inch reel-to-reel magnetic tapes, represent the earliest audio recordings made by the
Santa Barbara Historical Museum.
The Santa Barbara Historical Society was formed in October 1932 to foster research and study of the history of the city and
county of Santa Barbara. In 1943, the Society became a California non-profit corporation with exhibit and storage space in
the tower room of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. In the 1950s the Franciscans offered the Society office and exhibition
space at the Santa Barbara Mission. It was during this period that curator W. Edwin Gledhill began documenting the Society's
preservation efforts by means of audio recordings. The capturing of memories on reel-to-reel magnetic tape continued into
the 1970s until others took over the Society's recording efforts using the new compact and elegant technology of audio cassettes.
The Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape recordings are arranged in nine (9) series:
1) Broadcasts, 1954-1959
2) Conferences, 1966
3) Conversations, 1952-1961
4) Events, 1959-1966
5) Lectures, 1954-1978
6) Meetings, 1954-1966
7) Music, 1955-1978
8) Oral Histories, 1954-1970
9) Oral Readings, 1960-1963
The Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape Collection was prepared for digitization by Leslie A. Ervin and Chris S. Ervin CA
from April to July 2022. The tapes were digitized in 2023 through the California Revealed Digitization and Preservation Program.
The collection guide description was refined by Chris S. Ervin CA in 2024.
[Identification of tape], Santa Barbara Legacy Reel Audio Tape Collection, AR-2022-003, Gledhill Library, Santa Barbara Historical
Museum, Santa Barbara, California.
Collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact
the Head Archivist of the Gledhill Library.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California -- History
Santa Barbara (Calif.) -- History
Goleta Valley (Calif.)
Audiotapes