Dear ISRVA members:
We had an enjoyable weekend last May celebrating our friend Wolf’s incredible legacy. I am so happy that so many of us were able to make the trip to Omaha, NE for the Festschrift honoring Wolf Wolfensberger. During our visit, we were fortunate to have viewed the Wolfensberger collection, which is being managed by the McGoogan library staff at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
As we learned, the collection needs additional support to move forward with processing and to make the archive more accessible. We are grateful for all the library staff has done thus far to process this collection including creating a high-level inventory, restoring original order, investing in climate-controlled storage space, and digitizing TIPS publications, transparencies, and selected at-risk audiovisual recordings. For the collection to be available to all potential users, more description, processing, preservation, and promotion is needed. Your support enables the library team to provide appropriate descriptions of materials, develop priorities for preservation, preserve at-risk items, digitize selected works, and present collection discovery tools.
I am writing to you today to ask that you join me in supporting the Wolfensberger collection. Right now, the library is prioritizing the digitization of the tapes of Wolf’s archive. It is imperative that these get properly digitized prior to the deterioration of the original recordings. We have partnered with the McGoogan Library to help prioritize the content of these tapes. As stands, there are over 1,700 tapes to digitize but we are working with subject matter experts to identify and prioritize those in the greatest need. The topics range from Wolf’s advanced seminar on MR, advocacy, SRV, and many others. The cost to convert a cassette is approximately $38/tape and we are hoping to raise approximately $20,000 for this effort, allowing us to preserve roughly 1/3 of the remaining recordings.
If you feel inclined to contribute to this effort in honor of Wolf, you can make a gift at the following link: Wolfensberger Collection Fund
Should you wish to make a gift via check, please make the check payable to the University of Nebraska Foundation. In the check memo line indicate Fund # 01128730. This will ensure your gift is directed toward the Wolfensberger Collection Fund. Please mail your check to:
University of Nebraska Foundation
Attention: Amy Trenolone
2285 S. 67th Street, Suite 200
Omaha, NE 68106
Any questions about supporting the Wolfensberger Collection can be addressed to Amy Trenolone who works closely with the McGoogan Library Team. Amy can be reached at 402.218.7210 or by email at amy.trenolone@nufoundation.org.
Thank you in advance for your part in helping the Wolfensberger collection reach its potential.
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