Library gets grant to save KUHT films

The UH library system recently received a $19,863 grant from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

UH plans to utilize the grants in its partnership with KUHT-TV.

“UH special collections applied for and received a grant for restoration of some film stock from early KUHT days,” Director of Programming Ken Lawrence said. “I met with the UH archivist last month and (chose) from their list of our archived films and identified some titles, the likely to be interesting for possible restoration.”

The TSLAC granted a total of $6 million to 542 Texas libraries. The commissioners approved the grants at an Aug. 3 meeting in Austin for the 2011 fiscal year.

The TSLAC also awarded grants through its federally funded Special Projects and Library Cooperation Programs.

The Special Projects programs were given to six applicants this year for expansion of library services and to all members of the grantee’s library community. These grants also promote collaboration among libraries for resource and archive sharing.

UH was one of 10 organizations that received TexTreasures grants. These grants are designed to provide access to special holdings.

UH will use the grant to convert programming into sustainable and accessible digital media. The UH library system holds more than 500 reels of film that were produced between the 1950’s and 1970’s by KUHT.

“Part of their grant requirement was that the content be able to be put online, so we also advised him (the archivist) which content was most likely to have copyright issues beyond KUHT,” Lawrence said.

KUHT will provide content identification, priority information and copyright permission. The projects first phase will require 22 programs to be recorded on 24 reels.

TexTreasures grants are given to all libraries in the Texas Library System to provide direct aid.

“These grants will help improve library programs and services in communities and institutions all over Texas,” TSLAC Director and Librarian Peggy D. Rudd said in a news release. “These federal and state dollars augment local funds and help local libraries fulfill their roles as valuable community assets.”