A collaboration between two of UW-Madison’s most important institutions—the Libraries and the College of Letters & Science—the AV Data Core provides web hosting and data preservation for high impact media initiatives of the University. The AV Data Core is staffed and guided by UW-Madison’s best server specialists and data preservation experts. The technological infrastructure of the AV Data Core is equipped with:

  • A dual server virtualization platform providing web hosting support.
  • iXsystems RAID with a data preservation capacity of 200 usable TB.
  • 4K film scanner for 35mm film and 16mm film prints.
  • LTO 8 (Linear-Tape Open, version 8) writer / reader for offsite back-ups.
  • 38 networked iMac workstations (which the AV Data Core shares with the Instructional Media Center).

Learn more about the high impact projects that the AV Data Core supports by exploring the websites listed below. If you have questions or feedback about the AV Data Core, please let us know by contacting avdata@commarts.wisc.edu.

The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research – One of the one of the world’s major archives of research materials relating to the entertainment industry. The WCFTR maintains over three hundred collections from outstanding playwrights, television and motion picture writers, producers, actors, designers, directors, and production companies.

PodcastRE – A searchable, researchable archive of podcasting culture. PodcastRE’s collection includes over half a million podcast episodes from over 5,000 feeds, and the website provides data visualization tools to explore the collection.

Media History Digital Library – A free online resource, featuring millions of pages of books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound. The MHDL’s search and data analytics platforms, Lantern and Arclight, provide additional ways of exploring the collection.

Talk show host Faye Emerson with guest Frank Sinatra
Host Faye Emerson with guest Frank Sinatra

Media Preservation works with media scholars, documentarians, and the general public, converting archival film, video, and audio footage to modern, digital formats for viewing, study, and preservation. The accompanying image was converted from a kinescope (an early method of recording broadcast television) of the first late night talk show host, Faye Emerson.