Join the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) for a series of virtual Wikipedia Edit-a-thons to help strengthen the quality of Wikipedia's articles the world's largest online encyclopedia. At the same time, you are helping improve the searchability of historic public radio and television collections in the AAPB.

Upcoming Event

DATE CHANGED: Thurs, November 12th, 4-6p (ET) | Theme: In Black America Collection

GUEST SPEAKERS: John L. Hansen Jr. (Senior Producer/Host/Reporter), Laura Willis (AudioVault Operations Coordinator), David Alvarez (Production Director), and Declan McBride (AAPB Fall 2020 Cataloging Intern).

November's event will feature the In Black America Collection from KUT which began in 1970 and continues to be broadcast weekly, featuring hundreds of interviews with influential members of the black community in conversation about issues and topics pertaining to black America, including education, style, economics, social issues, families, culture, literature, and politics.

'In Black America' celebrates 50 years of broadcasting this year! Read more: https://www.kut.org/post/black-america-celebrates-50-years

How does it work?

Volunteers learn basic Wikipedia editing conventions to easily cite a historically significant public radio and television programs in the AAPB on a relevant Wikipedia article.

For example:

Jane Doe is a huge fan of the academic and activist Angela Davis. She found a historic interview with Angela Davis in the AAPB, which happened to be Davis' first national television appearance in an exclusive interview on Black Journal in 1972. Ms. Doe would like other fans, students, scholars, and Wikipedia visitors to know about this interview by citing it on the Angela Davis Wikipedia article.

Link to interview: https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_512-1v5bc3tn06

Step two: Jane locates the Angela Davis Wikipedia page and adds a citation to the interview under the "Interviews and Appearances" section. Doing this helps to strengthen the knowledge of public broadcasting history, preservation, and accessibility in the AAPB.

View pre-recorded 'How To' videos here!

What can you discover in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting?

News and public affairs programs that compare how national and international events have shaped local communities from the late 1940s through 2019. Examples include programs created by Say Brother (1968 – 1997, now known as Basic Black), one of the longest-running programs on public television focusing on the interests of people of color, and over 13,500 episodes of PBS NewsHour and its predecessor series (1975-2019).

Unedited and raw interviews with eyewitnesses to historic events, authors, activists and historians from documentaries such as Eyes on the Prize (1987) and Ken Burns' The Civil War (1990).

Live coverage from the latter half of the 20th century through the present, including the Senate Watergate Hearings (1973).

Cultural programming by, for, and about local communities such as En Français (1980-1993), the only original Louisiana Public Broadcasting series broadcast entirely in French, and Vision Maker Media, 40 films featuring Native voices from Native producers (1982-2012).

Recently Launched!

The Black Journal Collection features episodes from the Black Journal (WNET) series, the first nationally televised public affairs program produced for, about, and (eventually) by African-Americans. More special collections here!

The Televising Black Politics in the Black Power Era: Black Journal and Soul! scholar-curated exhibit is a collection of essays that explore the public television programs that explored Black issues and Black perspectives in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement. More curated exhibits here!

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About the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB)

The AAPB is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and the WGBH Educational Foundation to coordinate a national effort to preserve at-risk public media before its content is lost to posterity and provide a central web portal for access to the unique programming that public stations have aired over the past 70 years. To date, over 113,000 items of television and radio programming contributed by more than 130 public media organizations and archives across the United States have been digitized for long-term preservation and access. The entire collection is available on location at the Library of Congress and WGBH, and more than 55,000 programs are available online at americanarchive.org.

Join the AAPB Volunteer list here.