MRR Archive Update
It’s been half a year since the end of the Indiegogo fundraiser for the MRR Archive. Since June, we’ve been busy inventorying, cleaning, rehousing, green taping, and cataloging all 49,955 records we own. We’ve been digitizing back issues, scanning special covers made by Tim Yo, conducting dozens of research requests for punks and scholars, and tracking down records we’re missing from the collection. Hundreds of shitworkers from all over the world have helped us out, some for just an hour once and some for 5 hours each week.
Each month, we get in 80-120 records for review and the constant growth of the collection was overwhelming our shelf capacity. With the money earned in the fundraiser, we were able to buy four new shelves to accommodate thousands more LPs. We bought tens of thousands of poly bags and put them on every single LP. We’ve purchased new shelf liners, baskets for supplies, a library kick stool for hard-to-reach top shelves, and custom wood alphabet dividers.
These funds have also made it possible for us to buy archival boxes for our paper collections. Our full run of magazine back issues is now properly stored in acid-free containers, and our collection of letters, postcards, and newspaper clippings will soon be rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Much of the paper ephemera we have is truly one-of-a-kind, consisting of hand drawn art and flyers, and its long-term survival is crucial. Digitizing and rehousing these materials is a smart move to increase access and decrease handling of fragile papers.
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May 2025 update: A lot has transpired since this was posted. Check out this update about the MRR archive’s move to the Center for Popular Music at MTSU.
