Radio Canada has called for expressions of interest in its surplus archive of vinyl records and CD’s as it moves to digital systems.
The available inventory of vinyl records comprises an estimated 108,000 surplus copies, including 49,000 33 RPM, 19,000 45 RPM and 40,000 78 RPM records. The CD inventory comprises an estimated 57,000 surplus copies. Overall, the inventory is made up of recordings in the following genres: classical (37%), French pop vocal (19%), English pop vocal (17%), instrumental (10%), jazz and blues (10%), folk (6%), and other (1%).
The call for interest is open to Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational institutions that offer specialised music instruction recognised by a provincial Department of Education or the equivalent in Canada; museums; public libraries; community radio services; and non-profit organisations with a social mission.
Institutions interested in acquiring, as is and without charge, one or more portions of the inventory of surplus copies of vinyl records and CDs are invited to express their interest by completing the designated form available at Radio-Canada.ca/heritage. The deadline for receiving online submissions is Friday, March 29, 2019.
In November 2018, Radio-Canada announced that it would be donating its duplicate 33 RPM records to Radio VM, while retaining the unique titles in its vinyl record collection. Those records will be kept in an off-site storage facility to ensure the integrity and long-term preservation of the collection, while maintaining access for production teams. Radio-Canada has also digitised its collection of unique CD titles, including booklets and liner notes, and will retain copies of rare CDs, Canadian titles, as well as Radio-Canada productions.
Following the calls for interest issued in September and October 2018, some forty educational institutions, libraries and non-profit organisations with a social mission took possession of about half the inventory of books and periodicals with a view to giving them a second life, while the other half was donated to Salvation Army Thrift Stores. In addition, a number of vintage props and furnishings that appeared in Radio-Canada productions but are not specifically associated with memorable TV series will be preserved and showcased in a dozen museums across Quebec. Iconic items with heritage value have been donated to the Musée de la civilisation de Québec to highlight for posterity the significant cultural role played by Radio-Canada in our country’s history.
This final call for interest is part of Radio-Canada’s responsible management approach to ensure that the inventories and collections that cannot be transferred to the new Maison de Radio-Canada can continue to serve community wherever possible. This process is being conducted in consultation with Library and Archives Canada, which will retain a selection of Canadian CDs and vinyl records.