A sound library is a collection of records , tapes and other elements that record sounds . These archives, therefore, allow us to preserve and disseminate the sound heritage .
The resources that a sound library contains contain music , speeches , readings aloud , poetic recitals and other manifestations and expressions that can be heard. Many times sound libraries are annexes or sections of libraries .
The first sound libraries emerged from the storage of sound records of different kinds. To facilitate their organization and access, the documents are classified and ordered, favoring the work of researchers, students and interested parties in general who wish to consult them.
In a music library it is possible to find vinyl records , compact discs (also known as compact discs or CDs ), cassettes and other items. Currently there are also digital and virtual music libraries, which preserve the digitized sound.
The speech that a president gave when taking office, the last concert of an artist and the poems of a writer in his own voice are some of the documents that can be part of a music library. As can be seen, these institutions have great historical and cultural relevance.
The National Sound Library of Mexico , founded in 2008 , is an example of this type of entity. It depends on the Ministry of Culture of the North American nation and is dedicated to the registration, cataloging and dissemination of Mexican sound memory.
The five activities that are recognized as the pillars of the National Sound Library for the promotion of culture are the following:
* the rescue and preservation of Mexico's sound heritage;
* the dissemination of the values and cultural assets that it contains in its collection and that it protects;
* carry out events of various kinds, such as cultural, artistic or academic with sound as a central theme;
* promote the culture of listening in citizens;
* encourage the creation of sounds for artistic purposes based on freedom and experimentation.
Before the founding of the sound library, the Mexican government already recognized the protection of its sound heritage as a pending task. For this reason, in the mid-1900s the first projects related to this objective emerged, which also included visual material; Some examples are the National Film Library , the Film Library of the National Autonomous University and the Photo Library of the National Institute of Anthropology and History . However, sound did not have a space dedicated to it exclusively.
In 1980, UNESCO noted the importance of this heritage and suggested that it be preserved. However, two and a half decades passed before the Ministry of Public Administration put the National Sound Library into operation , for which it designated Casa Alvarado as its headquarters. It should be noted that until now there was no other music library in Latin America.
This facility has a total area of more than 6,500 square meters and is located in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Before its opening, different restoration and building works were carried out. The Alvarado House dates back to the 18th century and has an evident Andalusian and Moorish style. In 1932, the Directorate of Colonial Monuments declared it a historical monument .
In the National Sound Library of Mexico, the preservation building stands out, whose surface covers 1,200 square meters. It is there where all the preservation tasks of the country's sound archives take place, which include diagnosis, cataloguing, stabilization and conversion to digital formats.
On the other hand is the Octavio Paz Audio Library , with equipment that the public can freely use for consultation and access to sound files.
The Jaime I University of Spain , meanwhile, has a digital music library created in 2001 . Through it you can listen to more than 313,000 songs .