The mission of the Audio History Library is to collect everything that will contribute to the knowledge of how the sound industry came about and how it developed. We do this first by collecting manufacturers’ product literature, sales brochures, specification – or “spec” sheets, and pamphlets. The products a company produced is their very identity.

Please send these materials, or call me, and if possible I will pick them up. All donations are fully tax-deductible, receipted, and greatly appreciated!

You can also help by writing down company history with which you’re familiar. Any documentation you can send is encouraged to corroborate your recollections.

We are looking for:

Background history of those involved with founding the company. Their activities together precipitating formation of the company. Date & location of incorporation. A photograph of the founder(s) during that time period. A photograph and address of the dorm / garage / house (cradle of invention) and then of the first (and subsequent) factory(ies). Dates at each location. Original product literature for the first five products. Dates manufacturing started on the products and when production ceased. Actual number of units made of each product. A “timeline” with information highlighting other noteworthy products over your company’s history. Experimental work (and photos). Any transfer(s) of corporate ownership (or history thereof). A current photo of the facility, founder, CEO. Capitalization annually over the history of the company(ies). ©AHL

The Audio History Library looks forward to hearing from you. Please write us with the above information so your company can accurately be represented as part of the industry-wide account of our great history.

Let’s Raise Our Standards!

When you have seen as much product literature as we have, a set of criteria emerges that obviates itself as an industry standard, to which you hope that all companies will adhere.

1. Date. Please print a small date on the bottom or lower right corner of the back-side of your flyer or on the back of your booklet. This will save us a lot of research time, or of not being sure of your product’s chronological place along audio’s continuum.

2. Printing. Please do NOT photocopy. Take your product literature, owner’s manuals, revisions, etc. to a genuine professional Printing Company. They use printer’s ink which is absorbed into the paper. Toner, the fine powder in a photocopy machine, gets fused with a heating element only to the surface of the paper, and over time will adhere to any adjacent pages, making a visual mess.

3. Address. With all the considerable effort you and your employees have expended in manufacturing your product, like proud parents, one would think you deserve to enjoy credit for your opus. So where is your address and phone number? It’s amazing that some people list only their email, but no address or phone. And a few, not even that! We have a basket for “orphan” product brochures. Mystery does not equal cachet. Also, learning how to write a letter or carry on an intelligent verbal conversation are positive mental disciplines, worthy of society’s continuance. Only communicating the “easy” way will eventually rob humanity of intellectual rigor.

4. WEB. If you only list a website as a means of driving people to the site, please consider the transparency of listing your other contact information as well (letter & phone), and invite people to your site instead of forcing them.

5. Country of Origin. Some importers, possibly out of fear of competition or for turf protection, pretend they are the manufacturer. Why not be honest? If you do a good job and your work is of quality, no manufacturer will drop you.

* In addition to your donation of historical materials, like all organizations, financial contributions are necessary. It will take $440,000 to initiate a 3-year project to put the entire library on-line, $20 million to buy a Manhattan building which will house many audio-related organizations and an audio museum, and another $45 million to adequately endow all facets of this important project.

Will your company buy banner ads? Will your CEO, marketing manager, or curator share historical materials with us? It’s vitally important to have a company’s history in more than one place! Is it within your corporation’s ability to give us a grant? Any ways your company can help our efforts will be tax receipted and gratefully received!