|
"A Visit to the Library of American Broadcasting," by Martin Hadlow from the New Zealand DX Times, July 2007.
|
 |
 QSLs For those unfamiliar with the radio listening hobby, a word about verifications, or "QSLs." Beginning in the early days of broadcasting, radio listeners developed the practice of writing to stations that they heard over long distances. They described the programming they heard, and asked the station to "verify" in writing that it was indeed their station that was heard. Stations soon began responding to these "reception reports" with their own distinctive "verification cards." These cards came to be known as "QSLs," the letters "Q-S-L" being the international morse code symbol for "I acknowledge receipt." Most stations use specially designed QSL cards that are unique to them. These cards often convey a sense of the country's history or culture, details about the station, the station emblem, etc. Usually they also contain details of the listener's reception date, time and frequency. Some stations, particularly the smaller ones, use letters instead of cards, often issued on decorative stationery. Collecting QSLs became an important element in the hobby of long distance ("DX") radio listening, and remains so today. DX listening is only tangentially related to amateur radio, where radio operators talk with each other over their own transmitters (and also exchange QSLs of their contacts). The listening DXer does not talk over the air, but gets his or her pleasure in hearing new stations, writing to them and obtaining their QSL.  THE COMMITTEEThe Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications is a six-person group whose goal is to preserve QSLs belonging to hobbyists who are no longer active. Many QSL collections are misplaced or discarded when their owners pass away or leave the hobby. This is unfortunate because QSLs are not just souvenirs of individual listening experiences, but also an important part of the history of radio, reflecting changes in national politics, broadcasters, frequencies and relations between stations and listeners. It is hoped that in the future, through the Committee's efforts, more QSLs will be saved from loss or destruction. The Committee urges QSL collectors not to leave the fate of their QSLs to chance. From the time the Committee was established in 1986 until April 2005, it operated under the umbrella of the Association of North American Radio Clubs (ANARC). ANARC was founded in 1964 as a unifying organization for non-profit radio listening clubs in the United States and Canada. Following ANARC's dissolution in 2005, the Committee has functioned independently, with no reduction or interruption of services. |
THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE We work toward our goal in several ways. First, we want to cause more hobbyists to think about the long term importance of their QSL collections. Second, through its association with the Library of American Broadcasting, the Committee provides a central repository for QSLs. Through direct contact with inactive listeners and the families of deceased hobbyists, and by a public information campaign within the hobby and elsewhere, the Committee seeks out significant collections that might otherwise be lost, and attempts to save them. And third, the Committee provides a simple and convenient way for hobbyists to express the wish that their QSLs be donated to the CPRV after they pass away.
 DONATED COLLECTIONS The Committee archives donations of QSL cards and letters that it has accepted from inactive listeners and from the families of former hobbyists. The CPRV collection is part of the Broadcast Pioneers Library of American Broadcasting, located at the University of Maryland. Since its formal dedication in 1972, the Library has established itself as one of the foremost repositories of media history in the country. Located in the Hornbake Library building on the University of Maryland campus just outside Washington, D.C., the Library contains a wide-ranging collection of audio-visual recordings, books, pamphlets, periodicals, personal collections, photographs, scripts, vertical files and now QSLs devoted exclusively to the history of broadcasting. It is staffed by trained and dedicated individuals operating in a professional archival environment. The CPRV collection at the Library includes many thousands of QSLs, principally from shortwave and medium wave broadcast stations. In the collection are QSLs belonging to many well known hobbyists of years past. Some of these QSLs date back to the 1920s and 1930s. A computerized index is maintained, and all QSLs are fully identified with their original owner. The CPRV collection is constantly expanding. The Committee has a continuing relationship with the Library, and is the main vehicle through which QSLs are added to the Library's CPRV collection.
 |