Special Collections
American Radio Archives
During the past twenty-plus years, the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation has systematically acquired what has become one of America's largest - and still growing - collections of historically significant radio materials, such as scripts, sound recordings, books, photographs, etc., and also thousands of television scripts. This vast resource, known as the American Radio Archives, was significantly augmented when the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters agreed to an alliance, which adds their large collection of historic documents and materials to the archives.The key objectives and programs of the American Radio Archives and Museum include:
- Acquiring, preserving, and making available for research significant materials that pertain to and chronicle the history of radio in America
- Providing quality educational opportunities in communication arts for elementary, middle school, high school and university students
- Enhancing understanding of the significant role that radio has played - and continues to play - in the growth and development of American culture and institutions.
- Developing community partnerships
The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters and the Thousand Oaks Library
The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters (PPB), founded in 1966 to preserve the memory of West Coast broadcasting in the "golden age" of radio, have collected some of the most interesting and famous radio scripts, memorabilia and sound recordings from American broadcasting history. The PPB collections include about 10,000 individual scripts, 20,000 transcription discs, and 20,000 tapes. These materials document a major part of the history of radio broadcasting. The American Radio Archives formed a joint venture with the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in January 2001 to provide a permanent home for the PPB collections. In April, 2014, the collection was donated to the Library Foundation, which has begun a program to organize and preserve the items.Future plans include developing community partnerships to provide education about the history of broadcasting, and development of space to house and exhibit the collections.For more information about the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, please visit their website athttp://www.ppbwebsite.org.
